Timeless Awakening
by A New Username
Summary: No matter how much time passed, I could never forget it. The gaping chasm which set me apart from everyone I met, even the people I cared about most. The feeling of helplessness that I felt every time someone I cared for died in front of me. The feeling that anyone with my power could use it better than me. The awareness of the crucial thing that I forever lacked: Time. (OCs, yuri)
1. I: Time

**Author's Note: Yo, RWBY fans! I'm probably a bit of a new face to those of you who haven't read my rather extensive collection of Sword Art Online fanfics. Before you read, lemme just take a few seconds of your time to give you the lowdown on what's going on here.**

 **First off, this is a collab fic with Xera Stark (whom some of you may know already from his story Rogue Huntsman) and HydraFlow. Unlike most of my stories, which are generally quite narrative driven, this one is more on the character driven side. Because of this, this first chapter is written by Xera, since it's from his main character's perspective. Next chapter will be written by me, since it's from my main character's perspective, etc etc. You get the idea. Each segment with one of our characters in it will be written at least partially by the one who created said character.**

 **As an extension of this trait, scenes where both Xera's MC and mine interact with each other will be the thing which sets this story apart from Xera's release. This release will have those scenes written from my main character's perspective, and Xera's will be written from their MC's perspective.**

 **Second off, as anyone who follows literally any of my stories should no doubt know by now, pretty much this story's entire collection of ships is going to be yuri, girl x girl, whatever you want to call it. This includes both ships including OCs and ships including canon characters. This is your one warning: if that makes you uncomfortable, no one is forcing you to read it.**

 **Third, this story is going to be... really dark at times. There's really no way of sugar coating it. It's my first attempt at fleshing out a tragic romance with this much depth, so yeah, expect it to not be rainbows and butterflies the whole story through.**

 **If all that's good with you, you'll probably enjoy this just fine. Read on, ladies and gentlemen!**

* * *

Timeless Awakening

Time

«»

* * *

Ira hated Signal Academy.

The fifteen-year-old's legs carried her mindlessly down the damp, winding path she always took. It led to the school's back entrance, away from the crowds.

She wanted to get in early today, so she set out an hour before other students tended to arrive. Another assignment was due today that she _needed_ to get in on time.

Lime green eyes stared down at the filled sheet of paper clutched lightly between her fingers, sneakers padding through a few puddles on autopilot as she read over her answers. Rain from yesterday dripped down from the leaves above her, a few droplets falling onto her school uniform, but she paid them no mind.

Her gaze scanned over the array of text she wrote out last night. They were weapon styles, the theme focused on their strengths and weaknesses.

But Ira didn't have a style. She was exempt from building a weapon her first year here at Signal because of that. So, the assignment was a bit of a slap in the face. It just reminded her of her "outcast" status here.

That, and… one other thing.

By the time she rounded the corner grove of trees to fall in sight of the school, a soft murmur of voices started filtering into her hearing as she scanned the last few lines of her page.

Her autopilot came to a crawl as her bright eyes glanced up to a small group of girls sitting around and chatting at a picnic table out back, her luminescent gaze somehow dulling at the sight.

It was just three of them. But just one was all the school needed to make Ira's life miserable since day one.

 _Maybe the front entrance would be better for today…_

Ira's slim fingers clutched a little tighter at her assignment as she turned around, black hair fluttering for a moment before cascading against her mid-back. Her hand rose to clutch the strap of her bag as she dipped her head down, quietly backtracking where she came.

All she needed to do was get beyond the tree grove, and she'd be unseen. She didn't want to deal with her today.

Not with a high-point assignment due.

But it didn't take a sensory type to know a pair of crystal blue eyes just fell on her back.

"Oh! Ira!"

Ira's steps quickened as she made her way around a pool of shallow rainwater, fingers starting to crinkle the edge of her paper. Her shoulders were tense, held tighter together now than they were just a few moments ago.

She _hated_ that voice. That sickeningly light, condescending voice.

A small flicker of wind in the trees forced the retreating girl to stop, coming to a sudden standstill as her hair kicked up and Sapphia stepped in front of her.

Sapphia Amatista. The platinum blonde from a humbly prestigious family. Signal was local enough to be open for people of all backgrounds, so Ira always wondered what a girl like her was doing at a school like this.

"Come on, Ira~ We've been waiting around all morning for you," Sapphia's voice cut into the air again, Ira's bag strap starting to feel rough as the cornered girl tightly squeezed it.

"Not now, Sapphia," Ira muttered quietly, letting her eyes glimpse the girl's face in front of her before casting them aside. She was wearing that sickening smile like she always did.

It pushed a toxic, fake politeness forward that didn't seem to exist inside the taller girl standing expectantly in Ira's way.

 _Any more late assignments, and…_

"You know the deal, Ira. We figured you'd come this way this morning, so why don't we get it over with, okay?"

Ira could feel those crystal eyes turning down to the assignment clutched in her grasp, that tension in her hand starting to tighten.

 _Why did it have to be today?_

"Sapphia, I don't-"

"I'll only be a moment."

Ira's words fell as another small burst of air fluttered her bangs, the paper in her hand already gone.

Sapphia was a speed type. Apparently, that made her the hotshot of the academy. The only one faster than her was a red-tipped brunette in another class. but Sapphia was the only one between the two of them actually interested in claiming a title.

Green eyes closed away as Ira took a small breath, trying to hold it in for as long as possible before letting it out in a small shudder.

Maybe Sapphia would actually let her turn it in today. She was using her for her own academic points, wasn't she?

She wouldn't let that lynchpin fail out of the class, would she…?

Ira took another breath as she started making her way to the picnic table the other girls lounged at. The three were studiously but quickly copying from the crumpled paper sitting between them.

 _Her_ crumpled paper.

 _Did she really have to scrunch it up so much?_

Ira's second hand made its way to her shoulder strap now, clutching the padded material just beneath her other slender hand in hopes that it'd make this pass by a little quicker.

This was always the worst part.

The bustle of chatter and gossip fell away to the quiet ambiance of rustling trees and a coastal wind, the scribbling of pens and pencils hardly filtering into the air as Ira's heart pounded in her chest.

" _Please_ , I need that paper back when you're done," Ira's voice came out in a quiet plea, but the girls ignored her.

After another minute crawled by, Ira stopped quietly scuffing her shoe against the ground as Sapphia stood up. Green eyes watched the girl's hand pluck up her paper from the center of the table and make her way over to her.

"You should check over some of the weaknesses you have listed under estocs. Some of them aren't very accurate," Sapphia said, holding out the paper for Ira.

The raven-haired girl stared blankly down at the offered page for a moment as her heart lurched. Of course Sapphia would complain about that. She used an estoc.

What was worse was she was actually proficient with it.

Only _more_ reason to see herself as queen of the second-years here.

Ira held her breath as she reached out for the paper, but her fingers grew still as the edge of it pulled away.

"But, _really_ , what would a girl like you know about weapon styles and how to use them?"

And there was that voice again. That haughty tone and inflection she seemed to only reserve for Ira in moments like these.

"I mean, you don't even use a weapon. How would you know _anything_ about other people's styles if you don't have one yourself?" Sapphia pulled Ira's paper further out of reach before forming that sickening smile again.

Ira's chest started to seize as she dragged her desperate gaze up to meet Sapphia's own, but it looked like that was what the girl was waiting for.

That broken moment of satisfaction.

"No Aura, no Semblance, no weapon," Sapphia listed off, Ira's eyes starting to drop again as she watched her paper slowly get torn in half.

That sound. The tearing rip of parchment. It was always so awful to hear…

"Come on, nobody would expect you to know _anything_ about being a huntress. You don't have any aura. You can't even fight!" Ira's hair fluttered again as Sapphia stepped up to her side, flipping the clasped fold of her bag up to peer into it.

Green eyes squeezed closed again as the blonde rummaged through her folders for a few seconds before ripping something else out of its sleeve.

"And look at that, you even had a backup copy," Sapphia said, tearing the second paper in half just like the first one before balling them both up into her hands.

Ira just stayed quiet as she turned away, hearing the soft splatter of mud and water as her crushed assignments were dropped onto the ground.

She only had time to make the two copies. And there wasn't enough time before their first class started for her to make another from memory.

Sapphia burned up all the time Ira was counting on by showing up early to school.

"Seriously, _go home_ , Ira."

That satisfied, high voice filled the stale air again as Ira took a small breath, not wanting to meet it.

"Nobody wants an auraless runt like you at an academy training us to fight the Grimm." Those footsteps started to fade away as the small group of girls walked off, heading for one of the side paths.

That was good. Ira was looking to use the back entrance to the school anyway, so it avoided them.

"You don't belong here. So stop bothering to show up."

 _Was this… always what happens at schools like Signal…?_

Ira's green eyes finally tracked down to her feet, her grip on the strap over her shoulder finally loosening as she let out a held breath. It shook her, shoulders trembling softly as her loosened fingers quivered.

The white, crumpled paper with the penmanship she recognized as hers was already soaked through from the murky water of the puddle in the dirt.

There wasn't anything she could do about that.

She just needed to make it to class… and try to ignore the student hierarchy of who's the strongest.

Power wasn't always about raw strength. Ira knew that better than anyone.

When Ira made it to her seat and the teacher walked in, she kept her head down through the announcements and through the collection of their assignments.

This was the other part she hated most about this place.

"Ira?" A young, but aged voice of a man asked, her teacher standing by her desk. "Where's your assignment?"

Lime green eyes looked up for a moment before they glanced to the side, catching a pointed glare from Sapphia across the way. "I…"

The teacher didn't seem to notice, or care. Sapphia was his favorite anyway.

"I didn't do it." Ira's answer was quiet, her eyes looking back down as the man frowned.

"Ira, any more late assignments and you'll fail the course. You're already at the border of barely passing," he reminded her, eyes bearing a lack of concern she was used to. "Test grades alone won't get you anywhere in my class."

The girl's hands dipped further between her knees as she squeezed her legs tightly together, dipping her head in a tiny nod.

"I know…"

* * *

"I'm home." Ira closed the door behind her as she took off her shoes by the coat rack, a comforting warmth seeping into her skin from the inside air.

She took in a deep breath as she clutched her bag, letting the aroma of her mother's cooking and the warm cabin atmosphere replace the stale air of the school and the glistening forest during her walk home.

Coming home to this almost made it worth it.

"Welcome home! I'm just working on dinner while I can."

Anoel's voice came from the kitchen, drawing Ira toward it as she dropped her bag for now by the stairs and stepped into the dividing room's doorframe.

Her mother was only in her late thirties, so Ira always figured the woman must've had her at a young age. Somewhere around 20.

Looking at her, it was always assuring seeing someone so young with this kind of heavy responsibility resting on her shoulders.

Anoel wasn't in her casual attire. She wore her pale dark-gray jeans and her white tank-top, her brown half-jacket and black bullhide cowboy hat draped overtop a nearby chair. Her boots rested at the foot of it.

"Heading out?" Ira asked, letting her uniform-clad shoulder lean into the open frame at her right as she watched her mom move about the kitchen island, long black hair tied in a ponytail. She was preparing some sort of pink fish to go into the oven.

"I am. I have a few errands to run with the info network, but I'll be back tonight," Anoel replied, turning her bright gaze to her daughter as she kicked the oven shut with her heel. "How was school?"

"It… went well," Ira replied evenly, knowing if she didn't look Anoel in the eyes as she said that, it wasn't going to be believable.

But it seemed she wasn't flawless at lying yet. Anoel's gaze shifted for a moment before the woman frowned.

"Ira, I didn't send you to Signal to get bullied every day."

The girl broke the lock she had on Anoel's gaze as she turned it to their kitchen window instead, the fading light of the evening sun filtering in through the open curtains. "It's not every day."

"It's close enough." Anoel's voice grew firmer, and Ira flinched a little in the doorframe. "I'm pulling you out of that school. You deserve-"

"N-No!" Ira's sudden voice startled both of them. The girl's breath came out in a heavy huff as she quickly shook her head and pushed away from where she leaned. "I can't leave."

"Ira, there's no point to it if that's all that's happening over there."

The young girl's hands started to ball up as she looked back to her mother's face, a tear-pricked determination taking over in her eyes. "Wasn't it you who said I needed people around me in order to build up my restraint?"

Her mom's lips pressed into a thin line as Anoel placed a hand on her hip, a small sigh leaving her lips as she met her daughter's gaze with a worried one of her own. "Yes. But that's when you use your Semblance. To avoid collateral damage. I'm not going to freely send you to a place that tries to bully you until you give up."

"I'm not giving up." Ira's voice suddenly grew quiet as her fingers fell open, the tension in her body leaving her. "I wanna get better."

"And you _will_. We can always move somewhere else, find you a better place to-"

"It's fine," Ira cut her mother off, dropping her gaze away to let it fall on the oven. "And turn the heat down a little. You'll burn it."

Anoel whirled around and cursed as Ira left the kitchen, grabbing her bag from the floor as she made her way up the stairs to her room.

She didn't come back out until Anoel was already gone.

Ira brought her bag with her as she sat down at the bottom of the stairs, pulling her sneakers on before standing. She'd changed out of her plaid skirt and restricting school jacket, opting for a pair of dark-gray short-shorts and a black t-shirt instead.

Something she partially copied from her mother.

She quietly threw her bag over her shoulder as she stood up, sweeping through the kitchen to grab the plate Anoel left out for her before pushing her way out the back door of the cabin.

Black sneakers padded through the damp grass as she ate a few bites of her dinner, nose scrunching up slightly from the slightly dry taste of the fish.

It was overcooked.

At least the rice was good.

Ira took another bite before making her way into a clearing through the trees, the usual forest surrounding their home opening away to a small grassy area she liked to do her homework in.

She dropped her dark bag once she reached the middle of it, the evening sun had already dried this patch of the ground. Her legs folded beneath herself as she sat down beside her bag, scooping another bite of hot salmon into her mouth before she rested the plate down too.

Her hands rummaged through her bag for a moment before pulling out the textbook she was supposed to read tonight.

The chapter was on Aura Control.

She opened the book and got a few pages in, but the writer kept making it out to be so easy to manipulate and channel your own Aura.

He kept assuring it'd eventually become natural and the body already knew how to do it. You just had to trust it.

Because everybody had it.

Her delicate brow furrowed as she set her empty plate aside, fork resting down with a small tap as she stared at the book open over her lap.

There was a whole segment on meditation. Apparently, taking time to immerse yourself in your body, and ignore all surroundings, made channeling aura become easier. Especially for first-timers.

"Okay…" Ira muttered quietly, placing the book in front of her as she analyzed the picture of the person demonstrating the position to be in.

She took a small breath as she fixed her legs and feet to replicate the way the woman sat, gently resting her hands in a mirrored fashion as well before closing her eyes.

 _Okay… just… clear your head. Block it all out._

Ira's furrowed brow stayed like that for a few minutes, the girl focusing first on trying to level her breathing. Her slim frame rose and fell slightly with every breath, but that eventually started to stabilize as the tension in her body started to loosen.

Her slender shoulders relaxed, face adopting the same release as she took a deep breath and started searching for the energy inside her.

She found it almost immediately. Hiding away in the place it always did, humming in that subtle, crystalline way it never failed to embody.

Ira took another deep breath and held it, the wind brushing softly through her hair dying down for a moment as she started to hear the crystallization of the air around her.

Lime green shimmers of light manifested between the trees and across the grass, glistening in the golden sun as each stray area solidified into physical energy.

A soft, gentle humming rose into the air around her with the more she crystallized, feeling the acute reach of each floating cluster and strand against the forest breeze.

The skin of her legs felt the grass beneath her harden, a solid crystalline glow starting to span out from where she sat as that energy began to spread into the roots of the ground.

She felt it start to climb into the trees, shining through the veins of every branch and leaf, before it started webbing further up into the air.

The tiniest smile formed on Ira's lips as she was tempted to laugh softly in relief, feeling the wind above the trees flutter through her reaching energy-

Something rustled the leaves nearby to her right.

Her eyes immediately snapped open and glanced to the side, her body flinching as that tree she peered at suddenly erupted in splintering wood as the energy inside it shattered.

"N-No…" Ira quickly scrambled to her feet, running through her field of energy to fall to her knees next to the tree's destroyed roots.

A small white rabbit with antlers lay on its side, curled up with the first signs of blood starting to seep through the fur of its limp leg. Fragments of wood lay embedded in its skin, and its already dulling eyes stared in a petrified fear when it saw Ira kneel next to it.

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… to-" Something hard struck Ira in the stomach and she fell back. Three smaller rabbits with newly grown antlers barred their teeth at her, the girl's wide eyes starting to water over. "I-I didn't mean t-to…"

The three young creatures continued to protect their wounded mother, and Ira's hands quickly pushed into the grass to start crawling away.

Her breathing was starting to quicken, the fingers clutching the crystallized ground beneath her starting to tremble again as her acute senses started to go haywire.

Every little vibration in the ground suddenly became deafening, little ripples of wind brushing against bark searing into her skin as her body seized up and she clutched her head.

Another tree burst as another rustle of leaves shook her mind from the other side of the clearing.

The scattering of fragments echoed louder than anything else, and a scream locked in her throat as another tree burst.

Her body curled up as those fragments fell in thundering crashes, eyes squeezing closed as the air around her grew unbearably hot.

The wind picked up a little and her entire body locked up, hand jamming into the grass as her legs tightened and her piercing scream ripped through the tree canopy above her.

A flock of birds scattered into the air as all the trees around her shattered... breaking apart in a silently rupturing ground.

* * *

"Ira?"

Anoel cautiously stepped through the ruined forest, boots trekking softly over the overturned ground as she waded through a sea of floating splinters.

Her shimmering eyes glowed softly in the night air, the fragments of the moon bearing down on the open ground as she made her way toward the curled up heat signature of her daughter.

"Ira… just stay put, alright? I'm coming over to you," Anoel spoke out, stepping around a crumbling hole in the ground.

"S-Stay away…"

Anoel grimaced at the brokenness in Ira's voice, a hoarseness prominent over the usual light flutter of the girl's tone. "You can't hurt me, Ira."

"Y-You're wrong!" Ira's body curled up more in the empty clearing she secluded herself in, ragged breath racking her lungs as Anoel saw the signs of tears gleaming over the young girl's face. "I-I don't w-want to hurt you! Just stay back!"

Anoel's steps grew closer anyway, the woman coming to a soft stop beside her as Ira tightened her grip around her legs and pulled herself in even more.

Shutting herself away like she always did.

"There's nothing you can do to hurt me, Ira…" Anoel slowly lowered to her knees beside her trembling daughter, resting her hand on the ground to support herself as she lowered herself further to lie next to Ira. "You'll get the hang of it eventually. Don't worry about that. All it takes is time."

The woman brought her arms around the curled up girl in front of her and pulled her in, resting her chin on the cold head of hair of her daughter before kissing it softly.

Ira's arms finally pulled away from her legs, letting them straighten out before sliding her hands around Anoel.

She let herself get buried in that warmth again, breathing still raspy and shaky, but she was trying. She was always trying.

"Just give it time. It'll come to you."

* * *

 **Author's note: Just to clear this up, a** **s a side note, all characters in this chapter were created and are owned by Xera. As such the entire chapter was written by him. So, yeah, just keep that in mind.**

 **See you next time!**


	2. II: Kids

**Author's Note: Yo, RWBY fans! A New Username here again with the opening commentary!**

 **Aaaaaand we're back with the introductory chapter for my main character! Some other characters will also be introduced this installment as well, so for future reference, the character written in first person is mine, and the ones written in third person are the brainchildren of Xera and Hydra.**

 **Something I want to clear up regarding this story to head off any misunderstandings before they occur: though my character is basically the only one written in first person, that does not make her any more significant than Ira, the other main character. First person is just kinda my default writing style due to my tendency to write very introspective characters who get lost in thought easily. Sue me.**

 **Anyway, go ahead and read. Xera will be handling the bottom author's note, since they deserve to get to say something in chapters with scenes from their characters' perspective and all. So, bye for now!**

* * *

Timeless Awakening

Kids

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* * *

"Hah… I'm broke again, looks like," I thought aloud as I folded my empty wallet again and deposited it back into my black denim jacket's inner breast pocket. "Well, back to sleeping in trees it is, I guess. May as well scout out that park I passed by not too long ago… I remember it having a forest on the back edge."

With a nod to myself, I did an about face, my long, straight blonde hair splaying out in a wide arc before starting to swing rhythmically from side to side as I began walking to my new destination. I took a look over to the right – the sun still had a ways to go before it started setting, but judging by its position, schools had probably been out for a little while.

Not too terribly long, but enough time had passed that I knew I could expect to find kids of various ages playing around without a care in the world.

 _I'm not good… with kids…_

It wasn't that I didn't know how to act around them. I could handle myself around kids just fine, they weren't exactly hard to please or entertain. But at the same time… I envied them, I really did.

There were so many things they just didn't have to think about at their ages – sure, responsibilities increased gradually the older they got, but eventually there was an endpoint to the burdens they had to bear.

Even if that endpoint would only come when they died for some of them… it was a single droplet of rainwater falling into the ever-rising ocean of history in the grand scheme of things.

 _But my burdens are… well, it's really not a fair comparison, though, is it?_

I had no ill will toward kids, teens or even adults. Even the ones who hated me. Even the ones who hurt me. Even the ones who left scars on me that still have yet to fade even a little, after all this time.

Sure, I might get mad at them in the moment, but I'd never been the type to hold a grudge. That said, interacting with them could be painful even when they did me no wrong. It often served to remind me of my place, of what set me apart from them, the gaping chasm between myself and everyone I met.

And I noticed this disconnect most quickly and sharply when dealing with kids.

The younger they were, the worse it got.

 _Although, I suppose… I do have one kindred spirit who walks down this path of life alongside me. I wonder how that person is doing now…_

I chuckled to myself, shrugging my shoulders as my gaze returned to the sidewalk in front of me.

"Though I guess it's not really my business anymore. And either way, it's a less pressing issue right now than finding a good tree to sleep in later tonight. Not like a wandering bum like myself would have a secretary to find it for me."

I could see the entrance to the park off in the distance. In fact… the wooden corral-style fences for the park stretched all the way back to where I already was and beyond.

This far out, I couldn't see any of the playground equipment which I had noticed earlier upon passing by the entrance – just an open field, a lake on the left, and in the back, the vast expanse of a forest which I needed to search for a sleeping spot. And since that was the case, then my next move would be obvious.

"People ditching route it is," I replied in a peppy voice.

If for no reason other than self-amusement, I jumped clean over the fence, clearing it by a good five feet effortlessly and doing a flip through the air before fluidly rolling into a light jog the moment I hit the ground. Although I suppose by light jog standards, I was still moving pretty fast…

 _But not fast enough, apparently._

It was faint, but as I dashed through the field, I definitely heard two distinct voices… and they were talking about me. I didn't see them before I made the jump, but the explanation was simple – I hadn't been looking as far to the right as where those voices came from, so I wouldn't have been able to see them. And worst of all…

"Did that girl just fly?" one voice asked in a jubilant female voice.

The other voice's response came shortly thereafter, sounding calm, cool, and collected. "No, she jumped really high."

"But she flipped," the first voice responded doubtfully, as if she'd never seen a person jump high enough to flip in midair.

"Over a fence, yes," the other deadpanned, seemingly the wiser one of the two.

"Can we follow?" _Oh god, please, no…_

"Sure." _Damn it_. "I'm not jumping, though."

I was already passing into the treeline, but even so I still had no reason to engage them. They'd surely get bored of following a perfect stranger around.

And judging by how young they sounded, they might not even follow me into the forest… and even if they did, they'd eventually grow tired of watching me look for a good tree to sleep in. It wasn't exactly the most exciting activity in the world, so surely they'd get bored sooner or later.

That was my first miscalculation.

* * *

Fifteen solid minutes of tree searching later, the two young girls still hadn't grown tired of following me. And how did I know this?

Because I could hear literally every footstep they made, and they all went in my direction. It was like they weren't even trying to be quiet. But even if they were, against my sharpened senses their efforts to conceal themselves wouldn't work.

Not that they didn't have more than their fair share of… missteps along the way.

As if on cue, a short distance behind me, I heard a soft thumping sound, and felt the ground's super subtle vibrations.

Looked like one of them tripped on something and fell flat on her face… my first impulse was to turn around and approach them to see if the girl who fell was okay, but I stopped myself just short of doing it.

They were the ones who decided to follow me around in the forest, this wasn't my problem to deal with…

"Ow… my nose…" _Looks like she hurt herself… I hope it's not too bad._

"Shh! She'll hear you," the other girl, the one who suggested they follow me, admonished her friend, seemingly ignorant of how loud her own scolding had been.

After the crunching of twigs while she stood back up and a few pats to dust herself off, the one who tripped responded. "No duh. Not like there's any other noise out here."

Apparently not done with her amusing, if a little hypocritical scolding on volume, she continued. "Yeah, so why don't you put your book away and look where you step?"

"I'm at a good part." _I understand the feeling, girl, I really do._

"Bookmark it," the scolder commanded.

"It's a really good part." _I get how you feel, but shouldn't you at least_ try _to humor your friend here…?_

"If you trip on something else, I'm gonna have to carry you," the scolder declared, seemingly undeterred by her command being so blatantly shot down.

"I don't care. Just lemme finish this chapter." The apparent avid reader seemed to have no regard for her friend's wishes, only interested in losing herself in whatever book she was currently reading. It occurred to me that she and my kindred spirit would probably get along rather well, all things considered. Not that I even knew where said kindred spirit was anymore…

"Fine. But she can totally hear us." _Um, really? I've been able to hear you the entire time you've been following me… this is by no means a new development._

"Probably. She has ears." Maybe it was just my imagination, but the more the two talked with each other, the more I felt an affinity for this one in particular. Something about her levelheaded, unforgivingly blunt and honest personality really had its way of drawing me in.

"I should stop talking..." _Not like it'll help you at this point…_

"You should."

I said nothing as I continued walking through the forest, head turned towards the sky to survey the trees for good branches. The ideal setup had changed since the idea of sleeping in a tree first came to me – now that I was being followed by a couple of tweens, I had to find a branch which not only had the strength and width to comfortably support my weight, but was also high enough in the air that basic levels of aura manipulation to amplify physical capabilities wouldn't be enough to reach it.

 _They probably wouldn't be capable of anything super advanced at their ages… a hundred feet or so should do the trick._

Apparently, though, they were finally starting to question things… because I could once again hear them mumbling amongst themselves while they tailed me.

They probably _thought_ I couldn't hear them, judging by how they'd intentionally lagged further behind me than usual before starting… but it wasn't near enough distance to be out of my hearing range, given how far my experiences in battle had honed my senses.

"Why do you think she's wandering through the forest alone, anyway?" the voice I'd come to associate with the term scolder asked.

 _A better question would be why you decided to follow the strange person wandering through the forest alone as far as you did…_

Her reader friend seemed to mull it over for a few seconds, humming quietly to herself, before coming up with something. "Maybe she's looking for something she hid."

Ooh… being so absorbed in her book had cost her there. She clearly hadn't been paying close attention to me since we entered the forest… why exactly would I be hiding something in the literal treetops I kept gazing at?

 _Speaking of… that over there looks to be the biggest tree in the entire forest so far. It towers over the others so much that I can't even see its branches from this angle…_

"But what could she hide up in the trees? That's where she's been looking the whole time…" came the other girl's rather astute observation. Or at the very least, I was pretty sure that counted as perceptive at her age… I hadn't dealt with kids their age in so long that I didn't even know what the current standards of intelligence were for them anymore.

They both sounded only thirteen.

Regardless, if that tree's branches were as big as its massive trunk, then my search for a spot to sleep would be at an end. I could easily ditch these two kids whilst pretending I never noticed them by simply jumping up into a branch of my choice.

After having them nipping at my heels for so long, it felt a bit anticlimactic to just pretend I didn't notice them, but it was the easiest way to avoid having to deal with any of the complex problems that arose when interacting with other human beings.

 _Just a few more weeks here, and I'll be long gone, off to aid the next kingdom from behind the scenes like I always do. All ties to other people do is weigh me down… and since I can't even find solace in my kindred spirit anymore, I've lost all reason to associate with anyone but the enemies upon which I turn my swords. Besides…_

"I was never any good with kids anyway," I whispered to myself as I picked up the pace.

Before long, I found myself directly under this behemoth of a tree. Looking at it up close like this, it had to be at least twenty feet wide in diameter. It also appeared to be of a different breed than the rest of the green forest – in fact, a lot of the trees surrounding it seemed to be of the same red variety, just much, much younger, and even they were bigger than the other trees in the wood. The highest point they reached was still lower than the lowest of tree branches sprouting off of this goliath.

I knocked on its trunk to test it to make sure it wasn't dead. If I were to try and sleep on a dead tree branch, it would be less capable of supporting my weight than if it were alive, and it could end up breaking in my sleep.

And while I wasn't particularly worried about injuring myself from the fall, it would be a much more jarring and uncomfortable way of waking up than by the simplest essence of life, the rays of light emanating from the rising sun.

But based on the sounds it made, this tree was very much alive and well. To call it young would be a blatant lie, it was clearly the oldest tree in the forest, but it still seemed to be going strong. If I were a gambler, and indeed I was, I'd bet that it'd grow another fifteen feet in diameter before it stopped growing, let alone died.

All of a sudden, my hand came to a stop as I remembered something I did the last time I was in this location. I planted a single seed which I'd been carrying with me at the time because the grassy plains were too barren for my tastes.

Back then, this place could hardly be called a town – it had yet to even be inhabited by people at the time. The place had changed so much since I last came here that I almost didn't recognize it, but this tree made the memories come flooding back.

 _Those were some good times… things were so simple back then. Things have really changed, haven't they? And yet as the very landscape around it changed, this tree… it continued to grow and survive, unwavering. And even though I'd forgotten all about it, it didn't get upset… it just gently reminded me by jogging my memories a little._

I patted the trunk gently with my hand, almost as if petting a stray cat. "You've still got plenty of vitality left in you, don't you, old buddy? You won't be leaving me behind any time soon."

"What's she doing?" one of the voices came back.

"Talking to the tree."

"Why…?"

"You can always ask her yourself."

The confused question from behind me brought me back from the haze of nostalgia and reminded me to focus on the present task at hand. I looked up for a good branch to land on. Ideally one whose top couldn't be seen from the ground. It wouldn't be the one I'd sleep on, but it would work wonders in losing these two girls.

I briefly felt a pang of guilt wash over me as I considered what would happen after that. They'd been following after me this whole time – did they even know how to get out of the forest by themselves? If they got into any danger while I was here, having led them here myself even if not on purpose, it would be my fault. But I quickly brushed such thoughts aside.

If they got lost, I could simply come back down and lead them back out to the park area. And if they ran into a dangerous animal, I could just protect them, and _then_ lead them out of the forest.

I could sense their presences even if they weren't anywhere near me using a basic sensory technique I had mastery over, so I just had to make sure to intervene if they really seemed to be lost or in danger later on, simple as that.

 _There's a good branch. Looks like it's ditching time._

I crouched down, tensing my leg muscles for a jump. This would be a bit of a complex maneuver, considering there was another branch in between my current position and the one I wanted to land on, but what would the fun and adventure of a clean shot be?

All it'd do is serve to slightly weaken my reaction times against unintended target enemies in battle, and I _definitely_ didn't want that.

"Well… here goes nothing."

Before the girls behind me even had a chance to process what I said, I released the tension in my legs and sprung up through the air. The first hundred feet or so were met with no obstacles – this tree's branches didn't start that low.

But at around the hundred fifty foot mark, I knew that if I didn't do something, my head would collide face-first into a tree branch which could easily send me hurtling back towards the ground.

Naturally, as I often tended to when training my reaction time, I waited until the last possible moment to do anything about the situation. But then, just before I would've hit it, I thrust my hands forward and caught the side of the branch at just the right angle to use it to swing off of.

After I let go, I had significantly less momentum, but I'd gained back just as much control and precision of movement, allowing me to do an aerial flip for flair and stick the landing on my intended branch with ease.

I shrugged my shoulders, a proud smile dancing across my lips. "Well, that solves that."

* * *

"She jumped again…" Astra said, staring up from the base of the tree that girl was talking to. She slipped her hands idly into the tight pockets of her black jeans before turning her gaze to her sister, the tip of her black sneaker tapping the ground.

She wore a steel-gray thin half jacket, a white t-shirt hugging her thin body beneath its open material.

"I told you, I'm not jumping," Aaryn muttered, her own clothes matching the girl's next to her in a few small ways. She wore a thin dark-gray sweater with a black tank-top beneath it, a simple pair of black track pants adorning her legs.

Her own set of black sneakers stood lightly on the ground as she responded to her sister without looking, both of their heads of platinum blonde hair almost appearing pale in the light of the evening sun.

The strands contrasted starkly against their darker sets of clothing, something they liked to do. Seeing as it blended well with their pale skin tones.

It also helped accentuate one small fact, too.

The fact they were twin sisters, and only thirteen years old.

Aaryn flicked to the next page of her book with a delicate touch, eyes roaming over the top of it for a moment before she found a stopping point.

A new chapter title.

The girl's voice grew exasperated, her book snapping closed with a soft pop. "Okay. Are we still following?"

"I kind of want to. She just straight up jumped into the sky. Didn't you see that?" Astra asked, placing small hands on her hips as she leaned around the wide trunk of the tree. "Or were you reading?"

"She didn't use aura. That was just her body's ability," Aaryn replied, poking lightly at the place the strange girl touched earlier. "I guess it was easier than trying to climb it."

"That's… pretty impressive. To jump like that."

Aaryn sighed quietly as she looked at her sister, pursing her lips pensively for a moment. "You really wanna talk with her, don't you…?"

Excited eyes turned back before they dipped in a quick nod. Aaryn just let out another breath as she shook her head, rolling her shoulders for a moment to loosen her wrapped wings. "Fine. I kind of want that too."

"Sweet! Let's see if she's still up there." Astra stepped up beside her twin sister and helped the girl straighten her wings out, hands tugging lightly to guide the black appendages out of Aaryn's sweater.

The invisibly sewn slits in the back of her own jacket opened slightly as she brought hers out too, Astra turning around to let Aaryn mess with them a bit before they were fully out.

They weren't the _best_ fliers ever, but they were still good enough to go straight up.

Probably.

"Hey, if you hit a branch and fall," Astra started with a quirked smile, cocking her head a little at her blonde sister. "I'll catch you."

"Sure. Assuming you don't hit one too," Aaryn replied with a light laugh, stepping back from her sister as she flexed her wings.

Astra gave a firm nod before watching Aaryn kick off the ground, giving her thin wings a strong flap to start climbing around the base of the tree.

She followed soon after, keeping behind the girl as they both swept up the length of the tree in a circling spiral pattern. The lowest branches came into view fairly quickly, Aaryn glancing back for a moment before gliding around the first one they came across.

Astra's eyes followed the movement before doing the same, banking around the same branch to fall back in line with the path her sister was mapping out.

They threaded their way through a few more and silently climbed their way to the top, twisting past the thickest of branches to start homing in on the girl sitting on one of the highest ones further up.

They were almost there.

But Astra's sky blue eyes started to transition into yellow as she saw a cluster of branches just ahead of Aaryn, the limbs a little too tightly packed.

There was only enough space to get through if they retracted their wings.

And that was one of the harder maneuvers for Aaryn to get down.

"Hey, Aaryn?" Astra quickly said, closing the distance she had with her sister by a small margin. "We can just go around. That's too small a gap."

Her sister glanced down for a moment before looking back up, eyeing the place she wanted to go. "No, we can fit. It's faster too."

"Yeah, but... you've never really been-"

"If I fall, you said you'd catch me, right?" Aaryn asked calmly, going just slow enough to wait for a response.

"Of course," Astra immediately replied, slowing down now too in order to give her sister some rebound space. "But you also don't have to push yourself."

"If I don't do that, I won't get any better." Aaryn's voice came back surely, forcing a sigh out of Astra before the girl came to a full stop now and let her sister climb the rest of the distance to the pocket of branches above.

Astra hovered for a moment before tensing her body a little, floating back and forth anxiously as she watched her sister speed back up. "Just don't think about it!"

Aaryn's hands seemed to curl up into little fists before she twisted slightly in the air, starting to tuck her wings in to fit through the small gap in the branches.

But as her sister down below watched, the faint tap of Aaryn's wing hitting the hard wood as she passed through was unmistakable.

Thin black wings immediately pushed downward as Astra dashed upward. She quickly slipped through the same gap her sister did before grabbing hold of Aaryn's ankle, stopping her before she could careen into a branch above her.

A quick tug pulled Aaryn into Astra's grasp, one twin sister falling snugly into the other's arms before any more damage could happen.

"You okay?" Astra's eyes immediately focused on her sister's face and the way she clutched her wing, trying to spot out any signs of injury.

But the two eyes looking back at her glanced up for a moment before widening.

"B-Branch!"

Something hard struck Astra's head before she could trace that wide gaze, her body immediately reeling back in pain. Aura shot across her frame in a shimmer as she clutched her twin sister to her chest, wings falling limp.

The clear vision she had before grew dazed as they started to plummet back down, Aaryn's voice growing muffled under the spinning array of branches above them.

And in an attempt to clear the throbbing pain in her head, Astra's eyes blinked hard, but her bearings were only thrown more off balance when something else hit them.

Everything suddenly stopped as the two twins fell into a pair of arms, the two getting held tight for a moment as that catcher landed on a branch nearby.

"To think I was being followed by two Phoenix of all people!"

Astra finally shook her head hard enough to clear her vision, eyes staring up at the girl from before.

The same one they were following.

"Didn't see that one coming," the girl spoke again, tossing a casual smile down to the twins she clutched.

* * *

Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

 _Character Ownerships (as they appear):_

 _Username: Kamiko_

 _Xera: Aaryn, Astra (help from Hydra)_

* * *

 **Recently added the character ownership tags to make it easier to see who owns which specific characters. However, they'll only ever appear once per character.**

 _ **As**_ **they appear, specifically.**

 **So, when a character is first revealed, you'll see who owns them and who'll be the one writing for them in these collabs.**

 **With Aaryn and Astra, I write for both of them. But in instances where Hydra's involved, in scenes that incorporate more interaction, he takes over the job of writing for Astra.**

 **It better fits our personalities that way.**

 **Anyway, too many bold words. So, I'll leave it off here.**

 **Username said the rest of the important stuff above.**


	3. III: Tag

Timeless Awakening

Tag

«»

"So, you two okay?"

When they were set down, Astra carefully lowered Aaryn to her feet and gave a small nod. "I'm fine. But…"

Aaryn carefully removed her wing from Astra's grasp as she nodded her head too, offering a partially reassuring smile.

"It's fine." Her eyes then turned to the girl for a moment before looking at her confusedly. "I thought you were trying to avoid us."

"Nah, I was just looking for a tree to suit my purposes," the older girl responded, pointing to the point where the branch they stood on met with the trunk of the tree, her smile faltering for the faintest of moments, almost imperceptible. "You two just happened to come along for the ride. When I jumped, I was weight testing the branches."

"You jumped because you didn't think we'd be able to follow you up," Aaryn stated, knowing she was at least partially right.

The girl seemed to shift her weight for a moment as she met Aaryn's gaze again, keeping it effectively calm and collected. "I might have been hoping you'd see I was going into the forest and decide it wasn't worth it... it gets dangerous out here after dark."

She was worried about their safety? What about her own?

"Needless to say, I was not factoring potential wings into that train of thought."

"We were bored. And you were the most interesting thing around," Astra cut in this time, offering a small shrug of her shoulder.

The girl balked. It was quite clear that she didn't know quite how to respond to that. "Me? Interesting? You know you're talking to the girl who just talked to a _tree_ , right? Sure 'weird' isn't the right word?"

Aaryn and Astra shared a glance for a moment before they looked back to the girl's torn sleeves, gazes finding their way back to the girl's again.

"Weird's just another kind of interesting," Aaryn said.

A small pause filtered into the air as the stranger sighed.

"Fair enough, kids. But I'd say the most interesting ones here are the pair of Phoenix twins, a rarity among rarities, standing right in front of me." The two before her shared another look. There was that word again. "I don't think I've ever met a pair before... let alone twins of your kind."

"How'd you know what we were?" Astra asked. They were the only Phoenix in the kingdom, or at least that's what they were told growing up.

"I'm a bit of a free spirit. I travel all the time, all over the place, helping out whenever a little extra power is needed," the older girl said, holding up her toned left bicep and placing her other hand atop it as she flexed her arm muscles proudly. They… weren't very big. Just toned. "I've met all kinds of people, some from a few races even rarer than yours… though never twins from any of those."

Aaryn cocked her head confusedly as she heard that, the whole thing sounding earnest and believable. Which only made it worse. "But… we've been the only bloodline still alive."

"Well, think of it this way. There are at least two of you still alive right now. Those other, rarer friends of mine? Weren't that many of them," the girl explained, the sparkle in her eyes dimming a little for the faintest of moments. "As for how I knew, I do have a decent-sized collection of books that I've read over the years which talked about your kind in more detail than you'd expect."

Aaryn only pulled one thing out of that, her fingers clutching at the book she still held at her side. "There are… books on Phoenix?"

She didn't ask how or why this girl even had them. That wasn't in her wording. She was more shocked those books even existed.

They were all supposed to be destroyed.

Seemingly undeterred by the doubt in Aaryn's eyes, the girl simply reached a hand inside her jacket pocket. "Yup. Though not a whole lot of them are solely dedicated to your kind, I do have a couple informationals with sections on Phoenix. I happen to have one on me which fits that bill right now. Wanna see it?"

Astra rolled her eyes as Aaryn's own suddenly widened, a gleam of excitement rushing over her irises while her twin sister just shook her head.

"She's a bookworm. Of course she'll wanna see it," Astra muttered, passing off a small smile as Aaryn glared at her.

"Don't you know how rare those are?"

Astra just shrugged and poked her sister teasingly. "I find more entertainment in seeing _you_ get excited about books than _me_ forced to read them."

"Yeah, yeah. You say that a lot," Aaryn quickly turned her gaze back to the girl in front of them as she bounced a little on their branch, blonde hair swaying with her. "Do you really have a book like that on you right now?"

The stranger's smile became playful as she pulled a book in pristine condition out of her jacket and handed it over to Aaryn. "Section seven. Read'em and weep. Heck, I think there's even a subsection on refining aura manipulation in there. Considering the whole branch thing… you might want to check that part out."

Aaryn's hands immediately clasped the book with a tender delicacy most reserved for their own children, despite being a child herself. Her fingers skirted over the edges of the pages for a few moments to take in the pristine state the actual artifact was kept in.

"How old is it?" the smaller girl asked, flipping softly to the section she was told to. And true to the girl's words, there was an entire chapter dedicated to Phoenix.

But not just that. It was… before Kerillor got destroyed.

"It's hard to read, too," Aaryn continued, turning the book slightly as she squinted her eyes and stared confusedly at the open pages. "Some of the letters have accents I haven't seen before, and some don't even look like letters at all."

"As you probably noticed, that one's an oldie," the girl who somehow came into possession of this perfectly preserved book noted with a nod. "So the language used in it is a little… dated. Might need to brush up on older language quirks if it's hard on you. Hmm… I should have a book on the language transitions over time which you could use to translate it somewhere..."

After mumbling the last part to herself, she reached inside her jacket pocket again, then paused briefly as she appeared to be in deep thought. Before long, though, true to her word, she pulled out a book about language and offered it to Aaryn in a repeat gesture.

Aaryn immediately took it and sat herself down on that branch, opening the second book up as she placed the other one open on her lap, stacked on top of her personal book she brought with her. "You had this too…?"

"Weird," Astra muttered, stepping around her sister to balance on the stranger's branch. Her curious eyes fell on the pocket of the girl's jacket before prodding it suspiciously with a poking finger. "What else do you keep in there?"

"Just this," the girl responded before pulling something small and compact out, casually tossing it into the air, and catching it after it did a few flips, the setting sun glinting off the brilliant metal emblem on one side. She then showed the empty interior of her jacket's inside pocket. "My trusty pocket knife and the books are basically all I had on me. I use nature for the rest of my necessities. Been slowly translating the old book with the language book in my head, section by section. Up to section twenty-nine out of fifty-two so far. Planned on going through section thirty before bed tonight."

Astra fluttered up into the air casually to land on the opposite side of the girl's branch, starting to poke at her other pockets too as Aaryn glanced up from her little perch.

"Bed? Do you live nearby?" the twin asked, eyeing the girl again from where she sat. She would've recognized her if she did.

They lived just further into this forest. Their cabin was actually just a few minutes of flight away, now that she thought about it.

"Doubt it. There aren't any other houses out here," Astra pointed out, finally taking her prying hands away from the girl's pockets. The rest were definitely empty. "Wait, were you going to sleep up here?"

Pocketing her pocket knife again, the strange girl raised her hands as if to surrender. "Caught me. Remember my comment about weight testing the branches? I was checking to make sure they'd be safe for sleeping on. Though I haven't chosen a specific branch yet…"

Aaryn cocked her head again as Astra crossed her arms, giving the tall girl an incredulous stare. "Seriously? You're gonna sleep in a tree…?"

Curious eyes roamed over the girl in front of them for another few seconds before turning that gaze to meet with her sister's.

 _Was this girl serious?_

"We don't live too far from here," Aaryn started, looking back up at the total stranger. "Nobody would mind if you stayed the night. Our moms are pretty open with people, but only if they like them."

"Hmm…" the twins watched as the girl hummed softly, eyes distracted for a moment by a large flock of birds scattering out of the trees in the distance.

* * *

It wasn't a bad offer they were making. I hadn't slept in a decent bed in quite some time, so as far as restorative sleep went, accepting would present me with a golden opportunity.

There was only one problem with this train of thought. A glaring flaw which made accepting basically an impossibility.

 _That power influx I felt just now… didn't expect to run into my kindred spirit by accident. I haven't met with them in…_

"Almost fifty years…" I mumbled to myself.

I'd promised her… so I couldn't go with them. I couldn't go back on my word less than a century after I gave it. With that timespan of a distance between that event and this one, I couldn't even decently pretend I forgot about it… even if it was a guarantee that _they_ did.

I smiled sadly down at the twins, ruffling the hair of the one who was still standing. "I really do appreciate the offer, but I'm not really going to be sticking around long. I'd feel bad if you all got attached to me in the time I spent here before I had to just up and leave on you. I said it before, but I'm a free spirit… so staying in one place for too long just isn't part of the package deal with me."

"Don't be ridiculous," the one sitting down said, eyes roaming back down to the two books she had stacked in her lap. The other stayed open in her hands. Which was already a pretty impressive feat in itself, given she sat on a high tree branch.

"Yeah, we're not just gonna let you sleep in a tree and turn down a place to sleep," the other cut in now too, my eyes turning down to a firm gaze peering up from beneath my ruffling hand. "It'll only be for one night."

 _Damn… this weakness of mine hasn't been exploited in a while._

That weakness of mine was the main reason that, no matter what anyone else said, I would tell them over and over again that I'm not good with kids, even if I had to say it a thousand times for them to get it. No matter what they looked like, no matter how mean they could be, and no matter how little sense their assertions made… I could never tell them 'no' for very long.

I withdrew my hand from atop the standing one's head before holding up my index finger alone. "All right… one night it is. Don't say I didn't warn you…"

 _Come to think of it, I may as well use this chance… if there are any injured animals from that power influx I felt just now, I can use this chance to heal them. Haven't had to bust out a Druid technique in a while, but not long enough that I'd be rusty…_

"Good. Then it's settled," the one still standing next to me finished, her blonde hair seeming to bounce for a moment in a childlike nod. "There's still just one more thing though."

"She wants to know your name," the other twin interjected. "We haven't been told it yet."

I chuckled to myself, closing my eyes and resigning myself to my fate with a smile. She was right… we'd gone this entire conversation without introducing ourselves, hadn't we? Being as I hadn't so much as spoken to a single other sentient being in literal decades, though, I didn't really come up with a new one after I made that promise… but I had just the one in mind.

I opened my eyes and exchanged glances with both of them before saying, "It's Kamiko."

 _For my will and word to waver this easily… as far as children of god go, I'm pretty damn pathetic, aren't I? Not that they'd know the meaning of a name from a language which has been dead for literal centuries, anyway…_

When I turned my gaze back to the one beside me, she met my eyes with an unexpectedly cheeky grin.

"Kamiko. I like that name," she spoke, but her widening grin didn't falter in the slightest. When I glanced to the girl's counterpart, the twin sitting down only looked more annoyed than engaged in where this one was leading this.

The tiniest of springs bounced the branch we were standing on as the girl beside me moved around my front this time. And in the fast moment of the girl passing me by, I watched her smile turn into a grin as she tapped my arm with the pad of her finger and leapt off the branch to my right.

"Sneaky one, she is," I commented down at the twin still sitting on the branch.

 _If she wants to play tag with_ me _of all people… she really doesn't know what she's getting into, does she? I'll play along for now…_

"You have no idea," the twin still here said, her cheek squishing cutely into the palm of her hand as I watched her continue to decipher the book I gave her. "She'll only give you her name if you can tag her. It's just a game we play."

"So you're in on it too, huh? I'll give you both a five second head start to get as far away as you can," I offered, smirking cockily. "Because if you think I won't be able to tag you instantaneously at this distance, you're sorely mistaken."

Her eyes glanced up to mine for a moment before she turned them back down to the book in her lap, delicate fingers working to slowly turn to the next page. "I'm not really too interested. It's a lot of work and she usually has to find a way to bribe me into it, so I can just tell you my name anyway."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. And that name is…?"

Those eyes kept their focus on translating the text in her lap, but she seemed to spare a little of it to open her mouth and speak.

"It's Aa-"

I blinked as the girl yelped and suddenly toppled backward, like she was grabbed. Luckily, the books she sent flying fluttered into the air and went just high enough for me to step over and catch, all three snapping shut as they fell into my grasp.

The girl who started this whole game smirked up at me for a moment before darting away, startled twin nestled in her arms.

I chuckled to myself, shrugging my shoulders as I began to make good on my word. "Five… four…"

I still didn't plan to use any of my real speed in this game. That would be reserved for the enemies I knew I'd be fending off before too much time had passed. But I'd still show them at least a little of what trying to win a game of this variety with me could actually be like… right at the end.

"Three… two… one…"

I could already envision the perfect little strategy to catch them off guard, too. If I could get it off, it'd be like killing two birds with one stone. Except, really, it would be the opposite of that, all things considered. I tensed my leg muscles and crouched for a playful jump.

"Ready or not, here I come…" I mumbled to myself, a wicked smile playing at my lips.

* * *

"Awe, come on Aaryn, it'll be fun!" Astra offered, meeting the pouting glare pointed up at her from the girl in her arms. "We'll get to see what she's _really_ made of if we can keep her chasing for long enough."

"Yeah, I get that, but did you really have to pull me like that?" Aaryn muttered back, crossing her arms over her chest as they picked up speed.

Astra's face seemed to turn apologetic for a moment as she smiled down at her sister, hoping that was enough. "You were about to tell her your name. There has to be some incentive for this, you know?"

"I'm still not as fast as you. And I definitely can't fly as long as you either," Aaryn replied again, her eyes trailing behind them for a moment as she watched the tall tree fall further and further away. "You know stuff like this always tires me out."

"Tell you what, I'll rub your wings tonight if you try your hardest not to get caught. Deal?" Astra asked, a pleading look forming in her eyes as she stared down at her twin sister's face.

That stray gaze finally turned back and met with Astra's again, narrowing in contemplation for just a few short seconds before the girl seemed to visibly resign in her carried grasp. "Fine. But you do it until I fall asleep."

Astra's grin turned cheeky again as Aaryn lifted her hands, pressing them into her twin's shoulders before pushing her way out of the girl's grasp.

Two black wings of her own quickly spread again as Astra watched her twin quickly drop into a stable flight just beneath her, Aaryn's gaze looking back up to her for a moment before turning back.

"Left."

 _Already?_

Astra immediately rolled left, breaking away from her previous flight path as Aaryn rolled the other way, the twins' eyes both watching as Kamiko passed straight through the air they'd just been cruising at before falling toward the ground.

And probably to get back at her from before, she even flashed Astra a smirk during her drive-by.

"Did she jump all the way from that tree…?" Astra asked, eyes snapping back to Aaryn, who was just closing the distance again to get to her twin.

"Yeah. She made it look easy too," Aaryn replied, eyes watching Kamiko disappear back into the tree canopy before her analytical gaze snapped to a small rustle two miles from where that figure disappeared. "Dive."

Astra and Aaryn immediately fell thirty feet to let Kamiko's next attempt pass by overhead, a small wave directed down at them as the twins spiralled together and returned it.

"She's playing with us," Astra pointed out.

"Then we just have to make it interesting," Aaryn returned, flashing Astra a small half-smirk. It was a smile that always got Astra's blood going, the girl immediately returning it as she grabbed her twin's hand and shot forward with her wings.

The two dove into a spinning dive as they broke through the tree canopy and split up, working to divert attention through the branches and make tracking them impossible for anyone _actually_ normal.

And beyond that, it made following them and _catching_ them infinitely harder.

Astra's and Aaryn's figures crisscrossed and swapped between the branches of the trees, keeping lower than the canopy itself to avoid the bigger clusters of branches. It made them more visible, but Astra was the only one capable enough to fly through that at this speed.

Aaryn wasn't as precise yet.

But the sure sound of a third body following them through the branches made its way into their ears with every rustle of shaken leaves.

She was _still_ following this closely?

Combat boots planted lightly and quickly against branches as the twins peered behind them, spotting out a radiant blonde-streaked blur of black kicking through the trees to keep up with them.

They needed a new tactic… considering they weren't building any distance at all. Even if the speed they were going was making the trees whip by in hazy blurs.

Aaryn gave her sister a passing look as they crossed paths again, Astra immediately nodding as soon as she saw it before the two took mirrored hard banks and tore off in opposite directions.

They were forcing Kamiko to make a choice on who to follow.

But not who they were expecting.

Astra slipped her way through the branches of a tall tree and took that small window to peer behind her, spotting out that bright streak of her follower's hair before she tore that gaze back ahead of her.

 _So… she went after the harder one to follow._

She was a challenge seeker. Astra actually respected that in people. Kamiko wasn't going for the easier target to make this easier on herself.

The twin smirked to herself as she realized all she had to do was stall now, the bait dragging around on the metaphorical line she was leaving in her wake as she took a hard turn and bulleted to the right again.

All she had to do was keep her following for just long enough to-

"W-Whoa!" Astra had to force her wings down just hard enough to lurch her body upward, Kamiko's raised hand just casually held in the air and so dangerously in the way to getting tagged.

 _How'd she get so far ahead?_ The twin pushed herself up further into the trees to get away from where Kamiko lazily leaned against a tree, Astra's movements becoming erratic and fast as she darted through the branches up top.

She kept away from the forest floor this time. It was a mistake giving Kamiko that kind of advantage to keep up with them.

Astra wasn't even sure if their plan was going to work anymore, especially if she was being pushed this hard to fly so evasively. There was no way Aaryn would even be able to keep up, let alone _catch up_.

The lone twin mapped out a quick path before following it, the blurred branches from before starting to whistle by louder and more dangerously than they were moments ago. A crash at this speed would break half the already hollow bones of her body, but she was skilled enough to avoid that.

She was the better flier of the two, especially at speeds like this. But even so…

"Still?!" Astra dipped down into a vicious swoop as Kamiko kicked her legs idly on a branch ahead of her, the twin watching as stormy gray eyes tracked her blowing by.

 _This girl…_ How was someone _this_ fast?

Astra's eyes frantically peered through the branches as she saw a ray of sky break through, the figure of her sister flying overhead of her slipping through. Aaryn was waving her upward.

The twin below immediately took the nearest route back into the sky, breaking cleanly out of the forest canopy to reach up and take Aaryn's hand. With a swoop already prepared and a building of speed, Aaryn quickly led Astra up toward the clouds, breaking through the white layer of the sky in just a few seconds flat.

"There's a high chance that she has some kind of acute tracking ability," Aaryn said, pulling Astra forward now as the layer of clouds beneath them rolled quietly by. "Either that, or she just has some sort of insane speed in her with the way she was following you."

Astra stared down at the glowing clouds in worry. Even up here, she knew they weren't out of that girl's reach. "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure she has both."

"It's hard to believe she can have both, but it certainly looks like it," Aaryn replied, following Astra's wide gaze before tightening her hold on her sister's hand. "We can handle going higher if you want."

" _Somehow_ , I doubt that'd help," Astra replied evenly. "She's still holding back."

Aaryn quirked a brow quizzically as she turned her gaze down again, scanning the golden glow of clouds for a second time in the setting sun. "What makes you say that?"

"Because she could've tagged me twice now, but didn't," Astra returned.

"I guess so, but…" Aaryn's voice fell quiet as they passed by an opening in the clouds, a manifesting yellow glow filtering through the trees of the forest below.

 _What was… that?_

The twins came to a slow stop as they peered down into the opening, the bristling leaves of the tree canopy shining with a weirdly ethereal glow for a few solid moments before that light faded away.

It… spanned over an impressively wide area too.

And when it died fully down, they were only reminded how late it was. The light of the sun fading further and further into darkness as they gazed down into the forest below.

"Hey, Aaryn?" Astra muttered quietly, tugging lightly at her sister's arm as she pointed in the direction close to home. "Look…"

Aaryn's gaze drifted over to follow Astra's direction, falling on a large, dark clearing in the canopy far below.

Just behind where they knew their cabin was. It… looked like a large portion of it was… deforested. And the ground looked upturned in every possible way.

Aaryn's gaze silently grew wide before she brought it up to meet with her sister's, a deeply rooted worry falling into the pit of her stomach.

"Ira…"

" _Gotcha_ ," a calm yet smug voice rung out from directly behind them as the twins both felt a light poke to their backs, on the spot in between their wings. "Looks like my distraction tactic worked out."

The twins seemed to hardly notice.

* * *

Co-Author: Xera Stark

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

 **X: *lightly pokes Username***

 **Username: Ahem. Welcome back to chapter three of Timeless ladies and gentlemen! We're doing a joint bottom author's note this time, just for kicks. This chapter's tag scene choreography was written jointly, so it only seems fair (Okay, Xera did most of the work, I just planned out certain events in it. You'll see what my choreography is like soon enough). *Pokes Xera***

 **X: My only job was to show Kamiko's speed… and how she was toying with them… There wasn't any choreography. But despite that, some** _ **actual**_ **choreography will take place down the line. Username will be handling that one. For now, this was just an ambiguous show and tell to garner interest through the twins. Who happen to know Ira.**

 **Username: Well, they did ask for her to play a game with them… so she did, simple as that. :P**

 **X: Astra did. Aaryn got dragged into it with a bribe. Astra's good at doing that...**

 **Username: In all seriousness, yeah, the tag scene was a fun little way to show that Kamiko is on a different level entirely from them. I'd wager we'll see some of what she's really capable of eventually, but for now, it's all fun and games… so she's just gonna mess around with people.**

 **X: She'll get serious eventually. And to avoid an endless back and forth, I'll mention this here. Look forward to meeting Ira's** _ **full**_ **family. You've met most of them already, including this chapter.**

 **Username: Yeah, guys… if you follow Xera's stuff, you'll recognize some of them, but if you're one of** _ **my**_ **followers, you'll have no idea who any of them are lol. But as an audience member for certain scenes which you'll see in due time, let me just say I find certain character relationship dynamics to be… very entertaining.**

 **X: Prepare for flirting.**

 **Username: Xera's underselling it, I assure you.**

 **X: They'll see. Ira's moms are… fun to see interact. Anyway, that's it for now xP.**

 **Username: See you next chapter!**

 **X: These notes are long… maybe we shouldn't do them often xD.**

 **Username: Let's have the readers decide that. XP**


	4. IV: Cooking

Timeless Awakening

Cooking

«»

* * *

Something was wrong.

I couldn't place exactly what it was, but I knew the twins must've experienced something which put them incredibly on edge compared to when they were following me before.

While they pursued me, they couldn't be quiet to save their lives, and frequently talked amongst themselves at volumes I could clearly hear. Now, though…

They had nearly gone completely silent, words and actions alike.

Considering where they were looking when I tagged them, I had a pretty good idea of what it was. They'd been looking directly at the area which had been hit by the power influx I sensed before the game of tag started.

The cabin they'd been leading me to for the past little while… it wasn't that far away from that spot which had been utterly obliterated by that wild flow of energy.

 _Just another few hundred feet closer and that influx would've destroyed their house._

I had no way of knowing the circumstances behind that outburst, so I couldn't exactly draw a solid conclusion, but I did notice something in the twins' murky indigo eyes as we walked to the cabin.

Though they were undoubtedly concerned and emotionally bogged down by whatever happened in that part of the forest, it wasn't the kind of concern reserved for oneself. Rather, they seemed to be concerned for someone else.

Which only further cemented the conclusion that I shouldn't have agreed to come with them.

 _If they're not concerned for themselves, that means they might know the person whose power caused that. The person I was never supposed to meet again. The person I promised I'd move on from… for their sake, and for my own._

Not that I could do anything about it at this point. Regardless of how I felt about it, regardless of my obligations, and regardless of my word, it seems Fate had other ideas in mind. It kept us bound together, returning me to this person over and over again, no matter what I said I'd do.

At this point, all I could really do was graciously accept it for the time being. Not like we'd know each other for very long, anyway. I planned to be out of the Kingdom by the end of the month, so it's not like I needed to do the exact opposite of what I promised…

 _But that doesn't mean resisting it will be easy. That force which draws us together… whatever it is, it's definitely got a winning record over me. I only resisted it one time… and I just got lucky I never ran into him._

I could see the cabin coming into view through the trees. Its dark-stained wood stood in sharp contrast to the light green of the grassy clearing which surrounded its immediate vicinity.

Even more so under the ephemerally changing colors that the setting sun gave the forest to bask in. The sun just started to sink past the treeline, if the opposite end of the clearing was anything to go by.

"Are you hungry?"

The first words in a long walk of silence brought my attention back to the twins. When it did, I found Aaryn's face peering over her shoulder to look back at me. Astra's own was doing the same, but probably only out of curiosity for what I had to say.

The mere thought of food which wasn't just found from my environment through scavenging caused my stomach to let out a fierce growl. "Hehe… that probably serves as an answer, doesn't it? Yeah, I could eat."

"Well… I hope you like mediocre food then. I think Anoel cooked tonight," Aaryn responded, naming her mom directly. "Lylac took us to work with her earlier, so she's probably getting home after us. She's the better cook."

That did remind me… they'd mentioned having two moms earlier. Guess that whole stem cell research thing I heard about a few decades back paid off… good for them. Though I could hardly imagine it was a cheap process at this point, considering how long it had been around for.

 _I guess that just goes to show that when you're in love, money is no object._

"Well, considering I'm a surprise guest, my meal wasn't really accounted for," I pointed out, shrugging my shoulders. "So I wouldn't mind cooking my own portion. I've been honing that talent of mine for long enough to be decent at it, at least."

Aaryn and Astra shared a glance in front of me for a moment, before they both shrugged in unison. Yeah, they were definitely twins.

"Can we eat your food then? If you make it?" Astra asked. She almost sounded hopeful for a second, even if the prospect was just someone else cooking a meal for a change.

"We wanna try it," Aaryn tacked on, stopping just at the steps leading up to their door. "We're still gonna eat mom's cooking though. She's not _that_ bad at it."

"Yeah," Astra muttered softly, but I could tell she was holding back a grimace. "At least she's getting better."

The difference in their view of their mom's cooking was as clear as day. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. "Sure thing. I'll make enough for you both to get a good taste of it. How much of it you want to eat will be up to you once you've tried it."

The two shared another glance again before Astra turned back to me, Aaryn slowly turning away after the exchange to move up to the door to the cabin. "I guess so. We'll snack on Ano's food while we wait, so it probably won't be very much."

"Sounds good to me," I replied before turning to face the door. "Anyway, let's go inside, shall we?"

* * *

Anoel was sat comfortably on the living room couch down the straight hall from the door, legs curled at her side when the twins pushed their way into the foyer. Ly had been working in the city today, so she knew she'd get back later than usual.

But this was fairly early for her. Especially with the twins with her.

"Home already?" the woman asked, setting her scroll down as she peered over the edge of the couch, eyeing the door. But those curious eyes fell on someone else holding the door behind the twins as her two daughters kicked off their shoes. "Who's this?"

"We promised her a place to stay for the night," Aaryn responded, Anoel's hands finding their way to the top of her backrest as she knelt up on her knees. "Her name's Kamiko."

"Well… dinner's in the fridge if you want to reheat some. There's enough for you too, I suppose," Anoel replied back, carefully watching the new arrival at the door before noticing the way the twins' eyes started to track to the stairs leading to the bedrooms.

"Is Ira home?" Astra asked, already tugging Aaryn toward the steps.

Anoel was quick to leap over the back of the couch and slide across the hardwood floor to get in their way. A small ebony flutter of her wings shot her forward on her socks, exploiting the lack of traction as she darted forward fast enough to pick both girls up and spin to a stop.

"Sorry girls, but Ira's in her room right now," Anoel spoke, smirking as her daughters squirmed in her grasp and tried to wiggle out of her hold. The woman turned a cautious gaze to Kamiko for a moment before turning and starting to walk back down the hall.

Her eyes glanced between Astra and Aaryn as they glanced back to the stairs behind them, hoping to stop their plans before they could begin formulating them.

"Ira had a bad day. Give her some time, all right?" Anoel whispered quietly, quelling their attempts to struggle out of her hold for just long enough to kiss their cheeks.

Ano smiled again before setting the two girls down over the side of the couch, plopping them onto the cushions before turning back to Kamiko by the door.

She was… taller than her. Kamiko held a solid five inches over Anoel, and that difference worsened with the phoenix standing proudly in her socks while the girl across the way still stood in her boots.

How does a girl that young grow to six feet, anyway?

"You can make yourself comfortable. But I do hope the twins haven't been _too_ much of a handful for you," Anoel said, pushing away from the couch to make her way back over to the new arrival. "They haven't stolen anything from you, have they?"

As if she had been frozen and Anoel's words had thawed her out, the girl immediately stepped inside and closed the door behind her, a smile coming to her face. "Pardon the intrusion, then. They've been more fun than I was expecting at first. They haven't stolen anything, but I will be lending Aaryn a book or two of mine that she seemed interested in."

After untying the laces of her boots and gently taking them off, the girl looked around for a moment before her eyes settled on the coat rack above where the twins threw their shoes.

Ano leaned against the wall as the girl took off her sleeveless black denim jacket and hung it on an open hook, then put her discarded boots next to the twins' shoes. After unhooking and pocketing the silver chain from her belt loops, she looked over at her new host with a smile.

"Impressive wing use, by the way," she offered a rather unexpected compliment, giving Anoel a nod. "The twins are really lucky to have you as their eventual teacher."

Anoel quirked a brow as she glanced back to the couch, seeing two sets of eyes peeking back at her before turning her gaze back to Kamiko.

"You saw that?" the woman asked, crossing her arms lightly over her chest as she let her weight shift to her shoulder. The girl didn't give off the impression of possessing a high perception like that, but it's hard to predict what Semblances people would have these days.

"She's really fast mom," Astra commented from behind, a small rustle of arms sliding over the couch as Ano heard her settle in. "And she can jump really high."

"Accurately too," Aaryn added.

Strength, speed, agility, and spatial comprehension at a high level. Anoel lowered her quirked brow as she leveled the girl with an even look, something that hid away her curiosity.

"So, you kept up with them," she concluded. "That explains how you saw my wings. Given the fact they were only out for a fraction of a second."

Kamiko shrugged her shoulders walking further into the house from the entrance. "Well, I suppose I do live life a bit on the edge. Having high speed, strength and perception is a bit of a requirement, considering the work I do as I travel."

"You're a young huntress then? What school?" Anoel asked, leaning away from her position against the wall to lead Kamiko into their living area.

"Self taught, actually," the taller girl responded as she followed her host inside. "Kinda had to teach myself in order to survive… and to protect the things and people I value more than myself."

Anoel's lips grew into a pensive purse as she heard that, stopping by the end of the couch to look down at the twins sitting on its cushions. "I know the feeling."

Self taught though… that's impressive.

But to already be able to keep up with the twins in a game of tag? That's… kind of hard to believe.

"My daughters tend to be a good judge of character, so I can trust what they see in you. Though, I hope you don't mind if I still ask my questions," Anoel continued, bringing her gaze back up to meet with Kamiko's. "I'm their protective mother after all. It's my job."

Kamiko smiled warmly as she walked past the living room, towards the kitchen. "By all means, ask away. I'm an unknown to you, so it is the responsible thing to do. Why don't we chat while I cook something? You didn't expect me, so if I ate what you cooked, it'd be eating someone else's share. Plus, I promised the twins I'd let them try my cooking."

Anoel hummed quietly as she glanced to the kitchen, immediately dropping a cold gaze to the two on the couch. "A promise to let them try your cooking, huh?"

Astra innocently beamed up at her while Aaryn diverted a neutral gaze to the ground. So, that's how it was.

"Well, they've always been curious, so feel free to cook what you'd like." Anoel's glare immediately melted into an amused smile, something that made her look of offense appear entirely fake. "Honestly, you're saving me the shame of making my kids eat dry fish. So go for it."

Kamiko walked into the kitchen and took a look around. She appraised the spacious room, large enough to have a black marble island counter run down the middle of it, before her eyes settled on the shiny matching fridge on the other end.

She mumbled something about seeing what was on hand before walking over to it and pulling the door open by its gleaming obsidian handle, Anoel stepping softly into the kitchen behind her to watch. After a few moments of scanning the contents therein, she closed the door again and nodded to herself before opening the nearby spice cabinet to take stock of its contents, almost as if she knew what would be inside.

"Looks like we're making chicken curry and rice tonight. Now, to find the cookware and some good spices to play with… feel free to start the questions whenever, by the way," she said, turning back and flashing Anoel an inviting smile.

Anoel sat herself at the island as she glimpsed her daughters making themselves comfortable on the couch again, the two still partially in view through the open door frame leading back into the other room.

"How did they convince you to come home with them?" Anoel started, bringing her gaze back to Kamiko as the woman rested her arms against the counter in front of her.

The girl, clearly knowing her way around a kitchen, had already assembled a collection of spices on the marble counter by the fridge, and had just opened another cabinet to find, yet again on her first try, where the cookware was stored.

It almost looked like she already knew where everything was, and that caught Anoel's attention the more familiarity this girl displayed.

"I'm broke, so I was planning to sleep in the forest, but they ended up following me through it until I found a good tree to sleep in," Kamiko started, her smile softening as she recalled the scene. "They ended up trying to follow me up into the tree, but got caught up in the branches, so I had to save them from falling. That sparked a conversation, and well… when they learned I was planning to sleep in a tree, they wouldn't take no for an answer. Though… admittedly, I have a hard time turning down offers like that to begin with."

She pulled out a pot and a pan, placing them both on the island before walking past Anoel toward one of the oven-stove combos which sat opposite the fridge. She messed with it as if she'd owned it for years and knew exactly how it worked, turning it on and setting the oven to preheat to a very specific temperature.

She then walked back to the spice cabinet and pulled out a canister of rice, then poured a generous amount of it into the pot and took it past the window between the fridge and ovens over to the sink, pouring cold water into it and leaving it there for the moment. She went back to the cookware cabinet and pulled out a dutch oven pot, moving it over to the stove and then turning the heat on to mid-high.

Anoel had pulled open her scroll in the meantime, one recently sent message sitting on her screen letting Ly know the twins were home. And with a guest. "Why does that not surprise me…?"

She hummed amusedly as she rested her device down on the counter, bringing her full attention back to Kamiko as she walked about the kitchen. It was almost suspiciously perfect the way she knew where everything was.

And coincidentally, to top it off, that she'd end up here for the night too.

But trying to peer into the girl's aura through use of her own Semblance only rose Anoel's curiosity, no readings of any kind of information filtering back at all. It was almost like she was being blocked out.

Anoel's only ever knew two people to ever fully negate her information gathering Semblance like that. And one of those was Ira.

"For someone who moves around as much as you do with nothing tying you down, you'd think you would've saved up a little lien helping out the villages. Not interested in being rewarded for your help?" Anoel asked, eyeing Kamiko as she finished prepping the stove.

Kamiko went back over to the spice cabinet and pulled out a bottle of oil, walking it back over to the heating dutch oven before opening the lid with one hand. As she held the lid, she dexterously flipped the cap on the oil bottle open before pouring some out into the large pot. Finished with that task, she closed the lid again and moved back over to the fridge, opening it and pulling out a plucked chicken with one hand. She carried it with her back to the cookware cabinet, where she pulled out a cutting board.

She placed the chicken on the cutting board, then placed that on the island countertop before turning around and grabbing a large kitchen knife from the knife rack below the spice cabinet. As she began to cut the chicken up, she finally gave her answer.

"Most of the work I do is behind the scenes," she explained, shrugging her shoulders as she made the work of cutting out all the usable meat from the chicken look like child's play. "I usually kill off the Grimm before they ever make it to their intended destination village, so if I do get money, it's typically because I directly saved an individual person or other people from a Grimm attack on the road. So I don't make a whole lot of money unless I get a job, but since I travel so much, that's something of a rarity."

In no time at all, she'd separated all the usable meat from the husk of the chicken's skin. She took the parts she didn't need or couldn't use and took them over to, what appeared to be a cabinet at the entrance to the kitchen, closest to the front door. With her right foot, she rolled out the trash can, once again, as if she knew it was there from the start, and then she dropped the chicken skin and unusable parts right in before rolling it closed with just as much dexterity as she opened it with.

Anoel watched everything unfold as she rested her cheek in her hand, humming distractedly to herself. "With abilities like you have, you wouldn't have to sleep in trees if you actually took up the jobs you're already dealing with. So, there's a good chance you're avoiding something. Whether that's praise or awareness that you exist, I don't know."

Ano tapped the counter lightly as Kamiko went over to the cookware cabinet again and pulled out a small bowl, setting it on the counter by the spices.

"You're a hard person to read, Kamiko. But I hope the reason you're wandering so much isn't going to bring danger to my family," Anoel continued.

She could clearly take care of herself, though, which was the only thing confusing Anoel. If this girl really was running from something, what could someone like her possibly be afraid of confronting?

Curious eyes watched Kamiko unscrew the caps on all the spice containers she had gathered before turning around and reaching down to a drawer on the island, pulling it open and fetching a small spoon, as well as a wooden soup ladle. She collected spoonfuls of varying sizes from each spice container and dropped them in the bowl one by one, making sure to mix them together perfectly in between each new spoonful.

Soon satisfied with her homemade seasoning, she went back over to the dutch oven with it and the ladle, dexterously balanced said ladle atop her knee, then opened the lid and poured the seasoning in. Once done, she set the bowl aside and picked up the ladle, using it to mix the seasoning in with the oil.

"Well, there is danger coming this way, but not from me," she ignored Anoel's first few conclusions drawn before answering the main concern she raised at the end. "Actually, the reason I'm here in particular… is to keep the people of this town safe from that danger, because I'm the only one who can, now that that one person is gone."

So… she knew about Niro.

The intensity in Kamiko's voice rapidly dissipated as she continued. "As for the reason I started travelling in the first place, though… my sole purpose for existing… was taken from me. So I traveled the world to find another one. That's about all there is to it, really."

Anoel let her eyes narrow for a few moments before she let her gaze soften, hearing the pauses in Kamiko's words. "Did you… ever find one to replace the one you lost?"

That was the only real way to move on. For Anoel, that way was through Ly.

"... I thought I did, but in the end, it wasn't anything meaningful." Her reply sounded… lifeless. Hopeless, even. "But in the grand scheme of things, I haven't been looking for very long."

"You're still young, but I admire you spending so much time trying to find something meaningful," Anoel replied softly. This talk was making it sound like Ano was the inexperienced one here, despite being 20 years older than the girl in front of her.

Managing her own kitchen… better than she could ever hope to, on top of that.

"I like you," Anoel said, as bluntly as she could. "You remind me of my daughter."

For a brief fraction of a second, Kamiko's stormy gray-eyed gaze darkened, as if the assertion troubled her in some way. But just as quickly as it came, it vanished and got replaced with a playful look. "I'm assuming you're not referring to one of the twins, there."

Anoel's passive look hid the fact that she noticed that change in demeanor, but didn't want to address it. "I'm not. I have a third daughter upstairs. The eldest, actually, but I think she's taking a nap. Couldn't have the twins waking her up earlier, now could I?"

As the younger girl moved back over to the cutting board and picked it up, she gave Anoel a truly chilling smile. "I actually heard what you whispered to the twins. But no worries, I'm not one to judge her for having a bad day or you for covering it up."

"Oh, you heard that?" Anoel wondered aloud, lightly tapping her cheek with a few idle fingers. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised… I should've been quieter. Maybe a text would've worked better."

Kamiko's smile returned to normal, if a little amused. "Go with texting if you really don't want me to hear it. At least then I won't know exactly what you had to say."

* * *

Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

 **Username: *Nudges Xera* Your turn to start.**

 **X: Not much to say for this chapter. Introduced some names, Anoel met Kamiko, Kamiko's taken over the kitchen, and now nobody has to eat any dry fish! I say that, but the twins still grabbed a plate…**

 **Username: Yeah normally I write this character of mine to be a terrible cook, but this time she's actually good at it… mostly due to the circumstances at play.**

 **X: Yeah… Ano's filled that role pretty nicely, if her own kids have anything to say about that. *glances to Astra's beaming smile* You don't even wanna know what Ly thinks. You will next chapter though.**

 **Username: Yeah that's kind of the main notable thing about this chapter is the cooking stuff… aside from the fact that if you haven't figured it out by now, Kamiko's sensory capabilities are retarded good.**

 **X: Anoel noticed, but didn't say anything, especially as she watched Kamiko open cabinets purposefully with knowledge of what exactly is in each one… without even opening those ones once before. Yeah… no questions there.**

 **Username: Yeah Kamiko was kinda just showing off… she'll be doing that for a while, I'd wager.**

 **X: Guaranteed. Anyway, look forward to meeting Ly next chapter. Ira's other mom. And the twins', for that matter too.**

 **Username: Yeah, that's gonna be fun. See you next time!**


	5. V: Moving On

Timeless Awakening

Moving On

«»

* * *

Another long day of selling jewelry and juggling twins had exhausted Lylac as she pushed her way inside the house.

She kicked off her shoes and shouldered her coat off, leaving it resting on a hangar before making her way into the living room.

There was a lingering smell wafting from the kitchen as she dumped her stuff on the table.

Something was wrong…

Anoel wasn't this good…

"Girls, is Arex here?" she asked her daughters, as opposed to greeting them like she usually would.

"Nope," Astra popped softly from the couch, playing on her scroll as Aaryn's head rested on her leg.

"She usually calls ahead, mom," the other twin replied, peering over her book for a moment.

Ly frowned, but leaned over to kiss them both on the forehead anyway. She smiled to them before making her way over to the kitchen with the empty plate they had on the coffee table.

Anoel was the first person she saw, sat on a stool by the island, lightly tapping her scroll on its surface as her gaze was distracted by someone Ly didn't recognise.

"I'm home," Ly said softly as she walked over to her wife and kissed her cheek, setting the plate down on the middle of the island. "I didn't know we had a guest."

Ano's gaze immediately fluttered over to the voice and smiled softly, stopping her tapping for a moment as she leaned into the kiss. "Welcome home. And we do. Her name's Kamiko, she'll be staying the night."

"Oh, she is?" Ly replied as her eyes fell to the girl manning the stove.

She was tall…

"Mhmm," Anoel returned, scooting over on the stool to make room for Lylac. "She wanted to cook for herself, seeing as she was imposing after the twins walked her here."

Ly didn't bother trying to fit herself on the stool, and decided that lifting Ano up, sitting down, then placing her on her lap was a far better option.

"Of course the twins had to do that," Ly replied with a light smile. "Girls! You're grounded!"

"Told you." "No we're not!"

"Are you challenging me?!" Ly answered back with a hidden grin.

"No." "Yes!"

"Good, because I'm kidding!"

The new girl standing in their kitchen spoke up as she opened the lid on the dutch oven pot for a moment to eye the contents. "Glad it was a joke, it was as much my fault for not being able to turn them down as it was theirs for being so insistent. They've got good hearts, I'll give them that."

"Don't worry about it, we raised them that way and it's always nice to have a visitor now and then," Ly replied calmly as she wrapped her arms around Anoel's waist.

Kamiko glanced over from the stove for a moment to take a look at the twins' second mom before flashing her a thankful smile. "They're also good fliers for kids their age. I had to distract them to beat them at tag."

"That I didn't teach them. I hate heights," Lylac replied honestly. "Something they all love to abuse."

"They've got stuck in enough trees to make me the designated twin retriever," Anoel commented idly, leaning back into her wife to find a more comfortable position in Ly's lap. "It comes with the wings, though. The urge to use them."

"I should hope so for their sake, I'd use them as dust cleaners otherwise," Ly replied playfully. "Then they'd actually be productive in their downtime."

"Well, they were productive enough to secure a quality meal on their way home, if that counts for anything," Kamiko pointed out, the light of amusement in her dark gray eyes like the sun shining through on a cloudy day.

"They've got silver-tongues and are brutally stubborn, but I suppose it does," Ly commented in return, pulling Ano closer to her, drawing an amused hum out of her wife.

Anoel cuddled further back into the closer hold, resting her hands on the arms encircling around her. "Careful honey, she might think we're super gay for each other."

"Really now? What would give her that impression?" Ly replied as she kissed the side of Ano's neck. "I thought we were just really good friends that decided to have twins for the fun of it."

"You know, that does still sound like us," Ano replied, letting a smirk cross her lips. "But I wanted to marry you first before popping out a few children."

"Marriage and pregnancy for fun… Sure, let's go with that."

"Oh, you know I love you, Ly," Anoel pointed out cheekily, turning her head and leaning aside just far enough to peck her wife's cheek.

"More than flying?" Ly asked with half-lidded eyes, eagerly awaiting a response.

"I feel like I'm watching foreplay…" Kamiko's voice chimed in, echoing across the island, "and I'm not even looking that direction. Impressive."

Ano quirked her brow at the interruption, glancing back to Kamiko for a moment before her smirk turned devilish. "Oh…? Honey, you haven't seen anything yet."

"This is the foreplay leading up to the real foreplay," Ly added with a simper.

"Moms! Get a room!" Astra complained loudly, groaning from the couch.

"What was that?! You want to do chores?!" Ly called back in response.

"We're having dinner soon!" Astra called back, sounding even more exasperated.

"You won't eat until the house is clean?! How considerate of you!"

She enjoyed winding them up. It was comedy gold.

"To be fair," Aaryn's voice came in now too, much calmer than her sister's. "They do this even while they eat."

"I'm building them a kitchen table for their room," Astra commented back. "That way, the bed's that much closer."

She almost sounded annoyed.

"Sounds like Astra wants to do the dishes tonight," Ly spoke into Ano's ear cheekily.

"You already know she'll drag Aaryn into the chore to do it with her," Anoel replied, rolling her eyes at her wife's banter. "They always find a way to do something together no matter what, anyway."

"Because sharing your womb wasn't already enough," Ly responded as her hands fell to Anoel's stomach.

"All jokes aside, I'm glad you're happy together," Kamiko spoke wistfully, the light in her eyes dimming ever so slightly. "I remember being where you're at… it's a real blast."

Ly's pink eyes fell on the girl curiously. "That's kind of you to say, but it sounds like you long for it, if you don't mind me saying so."

"Well, you're not wrong. Not having it is the reason I'm travelling now," the younger girl responded with a shrug, seeming almost too casual about what she'd just acknowledged.

"Something happened to the one you loved, didn't it?" Ly's eyes had adopted a slight blue tint as she spoke.

Kamiko nodded, but otherwise seemed unaffected by the correct conclusion Ly had drawn. "She died."

"Are you travelling to move on, or forget them?"

It was a loaded question, one Ly probably had no right to ask, but she felt sorry for the girl in front of her. Especially since she could have been in the exact same scenario.

"You can never forget someone that important. It just doesn't happen," Kamiko replied, still sounding emotionally unaffected by the direction this conversation had taken, likely putting up a front. "I tried to move on… thus far, I've failed quite miserably. But I'm not grieving anymore, so it is a step in the right direction."

"I'm sorry for your loss, and honestly wish you the best in life," Ly's voice was earnest as her eyes stayed firmly on Kamiko. "I know from experience that loss like that is hard to get over."

The girl who seemed to be almost nonchalantly talking about something of this magnitude finally let a hint of her emotions show, her voice growing bitter. "The obvious solution, of course, to move on from old love… is to find someone new. I can't even do that much. But it's not like it's a terrible amount of time has passed since then… so I may have just needed more of it."

"That doesn't mean it hurts any less, sweetheart…" Ly murmured softly. "Finding someone new is always a task easier said than done."

Lylac subconsciously tightened her hold over Anoel as she continued to gaze at Kamiko, something that brought Ano's hand to softly caress the back of Ly's.

"Dinner's almost ready," Anoel spoke quietly, leaning forward slightly to turn herself in Ly's lap. "You should check on Ira, see if she's hungry. She's… had a bad day."

Ly nodded in understanding, recognising the message in Ano's words as she moved to stand.

"I have yet to say hello to her. I won't be long."

* * *

Ira stared at the steam still slipping out of her open bathroom door.

Her black hair was damp, still warm from her shower as she lay curled up on her bed. It was night now.

But she could still feel a gentle breeze fluttering through the fragments of wood lingering in the air outside. Where she left her bag.

Anoel probably brought it in by now.

Why does this only happen to me…?

The girl rolled over and pulled her bare legs in, wearing a fresh pair of the same clothes she wore earlier when she went out. They were some of her favorites, anyway.

A gentle knock came from the door, Ira loosening her grip slightly from around her legs as that person cracked it open.

"Ira, can I come in?" a soft, feminine voice asked as the door widened a little more.

Ly was home now too. Anoel probably told her everything… about what happened.

"Yeah…" Ira voiced out quietly, part of her wondering if it was really okay to just lay here like this forever.

The woman fully pushed her way inside as her pink and blue eyes fell on Ira's, gaze softening as they always did.

She padded her way toward the bed before taking a seat on the edge.

"How are you feeling?" Ly asked, trying carefully to ease into a conversation.

"Better than out there," Ira muttered, her green gaze slowly flicking to the window again before she let it go unfocused.

"What happened, baby? You can talk to me, you know that," Ly replied, reaching her hand out for Ira's and taking a light hold of it.

Ira flinched when her mom brushed the knuckles of her hand with her thumb, trying hard to bite back the urge to pull away in case she still didn't have her control back.

"I lost control. Like I always do," Ira said, finally rolling over to face the woman gazing affectionately down at her. She always hated the worried looks both Anoel and Lylac gave her.

They were always trying too hard… to care like this.

Ira's legs drew in again as she clutched the hand to her chest, resting her forehead against the forearm it brought with it to close her eyes.

"I couldn't stop it. Not until…" her small voice trailed off, the shakiness in her voice coming back. "N-Not until the whole c-clearing was…"

Lylac hushed the girl as she moved closer to her on the bed, arms wrapping around Ira and pulling her in, holding her protectively as delicate fingers combed through her hair.

"Ira, you're not the first person to have a power so great, that you're too scared to use it," her mom whispered into the girl's ear. "It's not fair, I know. And all you want is the ability to live a normal life without careless and casual destruction. And I hate to sound like just another broken record, but you will get there. I promise."

Anoel kept saying that too. "But what if I don't? What if I never get used to this? Every time I try… I lose control. And e-every time I lose control, something gets destroyed." Ira's arms wrapped around her mother's frame as she buried herself into another warm, caring body.

She didn't deserve this kind of love.

"What if it happened… a-and one of you got hurt?" Ira's voice fell into another murmur, shaking again as she clutched tightly at Ly's shirt.

Ly sighed as her grip on her daughter tightened. "Then we fix the damage and pick you back up. The same thing we've been doing since you were a baby."

The woman's voice was filled with the same surefire determination she always had whenever this happened.

"I'm your mother, Ira, it's my job to keep you on your feet."

"You're not my only mother, though," Ira muttered back, rubbing her face gently against Ly's shoulder. "If you do that, what does that leave Ano with?"

"Bad cooking and warm cuddles," Ly replied instantly with a flicker of amusement in her voice.

Ira's voice came out in a tiny hum, but she hid the small smile that formed against her mother's arm. "Who's downstairs? I heard a new voice come in with the twins."

"Her name's Kamiko, she's staying with us for the night," Ly replied. "And yes, the twins adopted her and dragged her here."

Ira grimaced for a moment before turning her eyes up to meet her mother's pink gaze. "They didn't make her play tag with them… did they?"

"I don't need to answer that question, baby," Ly spoke with a flutter of amusement in her voice.

"Is she alright?" Ira asked softly.

"You may be surprised to hear that she beat them, actually," Ly responded as her hand brushed Ira's raven locks behind her ear.

Ira's delicate brow shot up in surprise at that. "Both of them?"

"If you were to go downstairs, you'd see Astra still sulking about it, yeah." Ly tapped the tip of Ira's nose gently as she smiled down at her. "Aaryn is completely unfazed, as you can probably guess."

Ira would've usually giggled softly at that, but she hummed to herself instead and brought her gaze away from Ly again. "That does sound like them."

"Dinner's ready, if you want to come down and eat. The girls wanna see you, so I'd advise that you do before they try breaking through your window to do so," Ly replied carefully.

"I'll… eat later. I'm not ready to come down yet," Ira returned quietly, her head resting against Ly's body again as she closed her eyes. "Tell the girls I'm okay when you go back down."

"Alright sweetie, just don't stay up here too long," her mother said gently, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Cold food doesn't taste as good."

"I know…" Ira replied, catching herself leaning up into the kiss before feeling her head get rested down against the bed. "I'll be down to eat. Just not right now."

Lylac stood from her bed, keeping her soft gaze on Ira. "I'll stick your portion in the microwave when you do. I love you."

Ira smiled thankfully as she curled back up on the bed, lying in the warmth of where Ly sat. "Love you too..."

* * *

After slipping into her usual sleepwear, a pair of undies and a loose white shirt, Lylac finally crawled into bed next to Ano with a drawn out sigh.

"Anoel…"

The phoenix was already partially laying inside the covers, back against the headboard with her scroll in hand. She wore the same thing to bed as Ly, only her shirt was black. But Ly's weight shifting the bed and her tone drew her away from her device, eyes drawn away from her screen to Lylac slipping into the covers beside her.

"How'd the talk go?" Anoel asked quietly, resting her scroll down on the nightstand to cuddle up with Ly's side and rest her head against her shoulder.

Ly nestled up next to Ano and let her head rest on her shoulder as she closed her eyes, inhaling slowly. "About as well as you'd expect… she's been beating herself up about what happened and despite my best efforts, she hasn't seemed to stop."

A frown found its way to Anoel's tired lips as she sighed softly. "Figures… It's not her fault, but she thinks it is. And that's what's scaring her."

Ano grimaced for a moment before sliding herself down more into the covers and draping her arm over Ly's waist, closing her eyes softly as she got comfortable.

"She's been getting bullied. Some girl thinks it's okay to pick on her because she doesn't have any aura."

Ly's gaze fell on Ano as her face contorted into a frown of her own. "That's the last thing that girl needs... Do the twins know?"

"By now?" Anoel hummed for a moment as she thought about it, nuzzling her body further into her wife's warmth as she did. "They've probably figured it out by now. They're probably in her room, actually. Despite me telling them not to."

Anoel smiled lightly before growling a little.

"The little runts learned how to suppress their heat signatures. So I can't sense if they are or aren't."

Ly followed her up with a smile of her own. "They're in there, I don't need heat to feel them. Can't say I blame them though… They've been glued to Ira since they were crawling."

"Yeah… they have," Anoel lamented lightly, her smile growing a little. "That's something that's always been good for Ira. Having those two to care for."

"One of us is going to have to speak to the headmaster about Ira's bullying, before Astra runs her mouth to whoever is responsible…"

"That's the thing, I don't know if we should," Anoel said, the uncertainty in her voice starting to tighten her wrapped arms little by little. "Ira seems adamant about putting up with it. But, still, she's being bullied for being too afraid to use her aura."

Ly shuffled down into the covers, bringing herself face to face with Ano as she sighed. "I don't like the idea of letting her get bullied, Ano… If she's not going to put up a fight against them, it'll only get worse."

Ano knew that… but the decision was still Ira's, right? Even her thoughts sounded unsure of herself. "It hurts knowing something like that's going on every day for her. But… there's little we can do if that's what she wants to deal with on her own. I even offered to pull her out of school and transfer her somewhere else."

"I know she doesn't want to be sent anywhere outside of Vale, away from home, but…" Ly paused in her sentence, biting her bottom lip as she looked up to the ceiling. "We still have the letter Ozpin wrote, and the offer he gave her. If things turn sour."

Anoel's sigh drew out of her lips as she opened her eyes, peering into a reflective pink gaze looking back at her. They were both concerned about all this. "If we have to, we can use that. Maybe starting her at Beacon would be for the better anyway."

"Ozpin knew Niro… if he can't help Ira anymore than we can, then I doubt anyone could," Ly replied softly as she brushed a stray lock of hair from Ano's face. "I've always preferred him to Signal's headmaster anyway."

"That's fair. And there's always our white-haired backer too, but he's busy at around this time," Anoel muttered.

"He's always busy. And he hasn't been at it for anywhere near as long as Ozpin has either, so right now, Beacon's the best option."

Ano sighed at that. "Ozpin just has a better way of doing things. He's already understanding, and he'd probably know what to do in regards to Ira as a student. Especially around the rest of his students. His school is team based, though. What are we going to do if someone like her Signal bully ends up on the same team as her? Or as her partner?" Ano asked worriedly, raising her touch to gently glide her fingers up Ly's arm and keep her delicate digits close to her cheek.

"You know Gina's nearing that age to start Beacon… Ozpin's been clawing to get at her since she turned 12," Ly replied with a warm smile. "And we both know from experience how protective she gets over our girls. I honestly think it'd be good for Ira to spend time with her."

That's right, Gina was about the age to start Beacon too. "What are the chances we can rig them to be on the same team?" Anoel asked lightly, feeling a small sense of relief start to chip away at her building concern.

Ly's smile grew into a grin. "You really think we have to? You should know better than that."

"Oh come on, Ozpin likes to play his games," Anoel replied softly, a small smile forming on her lips. "He'll probably leave it up to chance or something. But maybe we can convince him to do something this year that can be swayed by the students themselves… Like picking their own partners if they're skilled enough."

"The underlying intentions of two concerned mothers are very unlikely to sway his methods, but you're right about him and his games…" Lylac replied softly, with a hint of amusement in her tone. "Launching fresh meat into the air would be hilarious to see though, as would putting two very underestimated girls on the same team. I'll leave that to you though."

Anoel sighed again as she pulled herself closer to Ly, playfully letting her eyes go half-lidded as she brushed the tip of Ly's nose with her own. "Always leaving the big social stuff to me. I'm not saying I can't do it, but I think we can sell our point better if we both go. Don't you think?"

"Always finding ways to get me out of the house and work…" Ly muttered playfully. "I'll go if you're too nervous then."

"You know I get nervous without you holding my hand," Ano teased, smirking in response to Ly's tone.

"The same hand you nearly broke when giving birth to the twins? Sounds about right," Ly replied, snaking her hand around Ano's back to lightly pull the phoenix's wings out of their hiding place.

Ano's eyes only narrowed in playfulness though, her wing instinctively following the delicate touch Ly used to pull it out of her shirt as she growled softly. "You try giving birth to two twins with wings."

"Oh you want more kids?"

"I think we have enough as it is," Anoel replied, rolling her eyes at Ly's comeback. "Five is too much. But I won't lie… I really liked you catering to my every weird craving for a while. That was fun."

"Funny how you get a lot more picky when eating for three," Ly remarked to her wife. "The jump from one baby to three was rough though."

A soft groan made its way out of Ano's lips as she thought back to that. "It sounded like a good idea at the time. How were we supposed to know the twins weren't going to be as easy as cute little adorable Ira when she was a baby?"

"Because we became too complacent with Ira, having dependant children was a nightmare. Not that I regret it though," Ly replied softly as she smiled.

Ano smiled in return to that, lightly nudging Ly onto her back to move herself over top of her wife and look down at her, her own ebony hair framing Ly's face. "Even though it was painful and a very long few months of endless, sleepless suffering…"

She wanted to layer it on thick as she leaned down and softly kissed her wife's lips, smiling into the small moment of contact.

"I regret none of it."

"Good. Two more children it is then. I'm taking the rest of the week off, so feel free to let me know when you want to make them."

Ly spoke with a smug smile as her hands naturally glided through the feathers presented to her. Working with deft familiarity as they found the sensitive spots she was used to taking advantage of.

Anoel's hum came out a little shocked before losing the strength in her arms to keep herself leaning up like that, her body resting down on top of Ly's as those hands started sapping her strength to stay awake.

"If we have more… I'm impregnating you this time…" Anoel muttered pointedly, her voice growing breathless as she cuddled down into her wife.

"Nine months of bad cooking? Oh the humanity…" Ly replied with faux despair, resting the back of her hand against her forehead.

"Oh be quiet," Anoel replied with an amused laugh, chastely pecking the warm skin of Ly's shoulder. "I'll take good care of you. I love you too much not to."

"I know…" Ly whispered gently, squeezing her arms around her wife to take advantage of her warmth. "And for the record, I don't want more children. Three hormonal, emotionally-charged teenage girls are enough for me, thanks."

Anoel chuckled affectionately into the hold before slipping her own arms around the small of Ly's back, letting herself get pulled close. "Neither do I. They're more than enough. And can you believe they like Kamiko's cooking way better than mine?"

"Yes," Ly replied dryly. "You're getting better, but I wouldn't feed dry fish to a starving cat."

"Ouch…" Anoel grimaced, reeling a little from the bluntness of that comment. "Are you sure you love me?"

"I love you more than I love the shiniest of gems, Anoel. But so help me gods, I am going to force you to cook until you perfect it one of these days." Ly planted a kiss on Anoel's forehead to reinforce her point. "It's better for everyone that way."

Ano's smile turned stupidly wide at that, nuzzling herself into Ly's neck after the kiss to hide it away. "I'll get better… I'm trying to, anyway."

Anoel let herself relax again as she melted back into Ly's warmth, wondering if she should say one more thing before they ended the night off.

"By the way," she decided to say it anyway, "Kamiko has really good hearing."

"I have nothing to hide, so I'm not worried."

"Good," Anoel muttered, voice getting quieter. "I'm not either."

* * *

Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

Character Ownerships (as they appear):

Hydra: Lylac

* * *

X: Next chapter marks the end of day one. And if you're wondering, no, we're not planning this around the cycles of days. This current night is just going to be stretched into next chapter as well to cover Ira, the twins, and Kamiko.

Username: Yeah, to be brutally honest, even I was surprised that we made a few hours last like four plus chapters… I'm not used to writing character driven stories lol.

X: Well, for now, the focus is the characters. And since these are OCs, anything they show now is just building them up. As for when Kamiko and Ira meet and when you all get to finally see two alternate perspectives, that happens in the chapter after the next one. So, look forward to Ira and Kamiko meeting for the first time in chapter 7.

Username: Yeah, honestly I'm still working on the Kamiko side of a lot of future chapters, but I've noticed that it can be pretty fun to rewrite scenes from her perspective… considering the differences in her character which pop up when certain other characters are around.

X: *glances to Ira*

Username: More or less. She's not the only one, but she is the main one… Anyway, not much else to say. See you next time!


	6. VI: Lucky

Timeless Awakening

Lucky

«»

* * *

"We shouldn't let Kamiko sleep on the couch," Aaryn spoke out softly, her slim hands playing gently with the white suds and bubbles coating the surface of the warm water in front of her.

Her wings were wrapped around her torso, cupped thinly over her chest as she sat between her sister's legs. The two of them sharing a bath in the upstairs bathroom.

Astra's fingers ran through her hair, shampoo running through her blonde strands as she relaxed calmly into the touch. She didn't have a book to read with her, so she was letting her eyes wander the bubbles in front of her.

Where her slender legs poked out of the water just slightly in their bent state, her sister's lying out on either side of her.

"What do you propose? I know you've been thinking on it," Astra replied distractedly, scrubbing her twin's golden hair with shampoo.

It possessed a passive, light green apple scent, as to not overwhelm their sensitive noses.

A pensive hum rumbled in Aaryn's throat as she lifted a few bubbles into her hands. "We can give her our bed."

"Uh huh…" Astra replied slowly, adopting a light frown. "But where do _we_ sleep Aaryn?"

"We can just sleep with Ira," Aaryn replied, her light voice keeping an even tone. "I don't want her sleeping alone after what happened to the forest."

Astra hummed in thought, for a moment, still massaging her fingers into Aaryn's hair. "As much as I want to do that too, what if she's already asleep? And how do you think we get in there? There's no way we can sneak past moms' bedroom unless they're passed out _drunk_ , and Ira's window is more than likely locked by now."

The girl leaned over her sister to grab the running showerhead to begin washing the shampoo out of Aaryn's hair.

"We'd either have to be really lucky that Ira's awake to let us in through the window, or really lucky that both Ano and Ly are in deep sleep before we try going in through Ira's door."

"Ira's awake. There's no way she's asleep already after that," Aaryn offered back, closing her eyes as that warm water threaded through her hair. "And we can just fly up to her window and get her attention."

Astra rolled her eyes as she rinsed the rest of Aaryn's hair. " _You're_ knocking."

"That's fine," Aaryn replied, starting to lean back a little as the current of water traveled up to the top of her head. "You were always bad at being subtle."

" _Hey!_ I can be subtle when I want to be!" Astra exclaimed incredulously, flicking the showerhead to Aaryn's face to give her a healthy dose of revenge. "I _like_ being loud. It's more fun, you should try it."

Her voice bolstered pride as she continued washing away the last of the shampoo before letting the showerhead rest on the side of the bath again, Aaryn's shoulders still tense from her risen voice and splash to her face.

Astra silently smirked at the little glare Aaryn gave her as she grabbed the conditioner while she was still stretched over.

"If Ira _was_ asleep by now, you definitely just woke her up," Aaryn muttered with a glower, but she was admittedly a little embarrassed from the sudden outburst.

They were naked. People didn't have to hear them as they bathed.

"You're welcome," Astra replied curtly, smirking to herself. "Told you being loud was fun… _and_ useful."

Aaryn's glare eventually subsided into a small pout, pointing at her ear for a moment in an expression of mock hurt. "And hurts. Your voice echoes in here… and you're so close it was basically right next to my ear."

"You live in silence anyway, what you call loud is _nothing_ ," Astra returned, squirting the conditioner in her hand before beginning to rub it into her twin's hair. "Like a little whisper, or a… something. I can't really think of a good comparison…"

Aaryn crossed her arms in the water as her pout persisted, but she reveled in her sister's inability to find the proper words to describe what she was thinking.

She still felt a little annoyed at the outburst.

"I have sensitive ears. And silence is nice for me. It helps me think and read," Aaryn replied.

"Yeah, because you _live_ in books… noise reminds you of the _real_ world, with _real_ people," Astra giggled a little to herself. "Y'know… I'm willing to bet my favorite pair of socks that if you could, you would live in a library and eat all the pages of a dictionary."

"No," Aaryn wasn't afraid to deny early, pursing her lips for a moment as she glanced back to her sister. "I'd rather live in my books where I can be reminded that you're there with me. And don't be stupid, eating pages is bad for you."

Astra smiled a little. "You considered it though, didn't you? Living in a library and eating books. Even just a little bit."

Aaryn's sigh fell in a drawn out breath before smiling slightly. "Maybe. It'd feel awfully lonely, though."

"I'm not giving you my socks by the way," Astra quickly commented, "we didn't shake on it."

Aaryn's smile grew as she turned away, intent on hiding that. "I don't want your colorful, fluffy socks. I have my own matching pair, remember?"

"I know… but imagine putting _both_ pairs on… It'd be like… super comfortable," Astra replied as she worked her hands around the hair near Aaryn's ears.

"Mmmm… too warm and overlayered at that point," Aaryn responded, closing her eyes as she leaned a little into the touch again. "Too much constriction, too."

Astra hummed thoughtfully as she focused on massaging the conditioner in more. "Didn't mom tell you to try more things? I'm pretty sure that doesn't just apply to books."

"Trial and error. Yeah, I know," Aaryn sighed, swaying a little at the massage. "If you want me to try it, you have to put them on me. And you have to be willing to let me wear your favorite socks."

"An interesting offer… _maybe…_ " Astra countered playfully. "But if you put a hole through them, I'm hiding each of your favorite books in the forest and you get to find them."

A sharp gasp left Aaryn's lips as her eyes shot open, pointing a narrowed stare over her shoulder. "I won't put a hole through them. So don't hide my books."

Astra giggled at her twin's shocked expression. "I'm _not_ hiding them, _relax_. I don't want you to cry if they get damaged. You have _more_ than sensitive ears."

The charismatic girl threw her arms around Aaryn and happily hugged her, just to prove she wouldn't.

Aaryn's glare persisted into the hug for a few seconds, but her resistance eventually melted down in Astra's uncaring hold. The girl quietly dipped her chin and leaned back into the embrace, eyeing the water again and the arms circled around her.

"They'd get damaged, yeah. But I have a lot of books, so you'd be out there for a long while…" Alone, too. Without Aaryn to help her get out of trouble if something showed up.

"I know, I don't have time for that anyway, you'd catch me." Astra stopped hugging Aaryn as she reached for the showerhead. "Eyes, conditioner stings more."

Aaryn's eyes quickly closed as she tensed a little, fleetingly wondering if Astra would hug her again after this. "I never like it when you disappear and I can't find you, so I'd get pretty suspicious early on."

"Are you sure it's not because you _miss me_ when I'm not nearby?" Astra asked playfully, poking her sister in the rib as she washed away the conditioner.

"N-" The girl reeled away from the touch for a moment with a little startle, ashamedly ticklish there. "I-I _might_ miss you when you're not nearby…"

An amused hum escaped Astra as she moved Aaryn's head to the side slightly as she rinsed her down. "Nah, you miss me. I _know_ you do. I'm your favorite seat!"

The girl whined a little at being called out, but she let her head be tilted about to get all the conditioner washed away. "You're warm. And you don't complain if I forget to move after a few hours."

"I don't like being nudged by our moms when they can't sit still and I'm trying to play on my scroll," Astra replied quickly, a little hint of disdain in her soft tone. "You can stay in one spot for hours and just melt to fit others in."

"See? Mutual benefit," Aaryn reasoned lightly, her voice growing more faint the more she relaxed into the flowing water. "Besides, you're always the perfect fit for me."

"Well… we did share living space for 9 months, I should hope so," Astra spoke with a light flutter in her voice.

"Fair…" Aaryn spoke under her breath. "Not like we ever stopped."

"I don't think we ever will, except if you find someone. Then I'll be there, _watching_ , and _listening_ , and _waiting_ until they hurt you," Astra's voice grew a little darker. "And if they do, they'll disappear, never to be seen again."

The words brought a grimace to Aaryn's face as she bit her cheek a little. "I don't want to find someone. I have you, don't I?"

"Exactly! You'll never have to leave!" Aaryn's twin very quickly returned to her nonchalant mood. A very unnerving change.

But Aaryn was used to that, so she just rolled her eyes beneath her closed lids and leaned forward a little.

Her hair rinsed out by now.

"Okay, you're done. My turn."

"Yeah, yeah. Turning around now," Aaryn said, scooting forward and turning to make room.

* * *

Ira finally crept downstairs into the dark kitchen and ate her dinner, the chicken curry needing a minute or two in the microwave to bring it back up to temperature.

But she had her serving before midnight and washed her bowl in the dark, quietly putting her dishes away before silently making her way back upstairs. She took another few minutes to brush her teeth again, not really knowing if she was going to eat or not just earlier.

She figured she needed the food, though. After the energy burst.

The lamp on her nightstand was the only thing keeping the dim room lit, her slim figure reflected in the window as she glanced over and saw the night sky outside. She hardly felt tired… but staying awake any longer meant she'd be too tired to pay much attention at school tomorrow.

Something she had to wake up early for. Earlier than last time, too, with the new assignment they were assigned on Aura Control.

 _I have to get at least a little sleep tonight… or try to._

She brushed a swift hand through her raven hair for a moment as she made her way to her lamp, dropping her black scroll next to it on the nightstand before sighing.

She probably wasn't going to get much sleep anyway, even if she tried.

But a soft knock tapped against the glass of her window, the girl's lime green eyes casting up again to catch two blonde figures hovering just outside her bedroom.

Two sets of dark blue eyes stared back at her before Astra pointed to the lock on the window, Ira sighing softly to herself again as she moved to the sill and popped the lock, then opened it.

"You two should already be asleep," Ira said, pushing the window open fully to let the twins in.

Astra landed on the sill and gently hopped onto the carpeted floor before her twin mirrored her.

"Look who's talking," the charismatic girl countered quietly, raising a brow as she looked up to her older sister.

"I was _going_ to, but you two popped up before I could turn off my light," Ira replied, keeping her own volume low before glancing to the two girls in front of her.

"Excuses, excuses…" Astra muttered as she hook her head.

Their pajamas were almost matching this time, just alternated in color. Astra's nightshirt white this time while Aaryn's was black, and their pajama pants were the opposites of their respective upper colors.

Ira smiled a little before stepping between them, shutting the window behind the two. "I like the colors."

"Mine was supposed to be all black, but Astra took my pants," Aaryn commented dryly, looking up at Ira for a moment before glancing to her twin.

"I thought it'd be fun to mix things up a little," Astra added nonchalantly.

"By taking my pants," Aaryn tacked on.

Ira's smile grew a little before she placed her hands on their platinum blonde hair, the strands feeling almost feathery soft beneath her touch. They probably took a bath some time tonight.

That was a good thing, too. Knowing they played an intense game of tag earlier.

"I think it's cute," Ira commented, rubbing their heads before moving back into her own room. She softly sat herself on her bed and pulled her legs up, looking at her sisters curiously for a moment. "Did Kamiko take your bed?"

"We gave it to her," Astra replied. She padded over to Ira's bed and climbed onto it, crawling over to sit down next to her older sister before looking at her twin expectantly.

Aaryn combed a few fingers through her hair before quietly following, situating herself on the opposite side her twin took of Ira before softly wrapping her arms around her. "We figured you needed company."

Astra made herself comfortable too as she curled into Ira's side. "Mom said you had a bad day…"

Ira's gaze grew soft as she glanced out the darkened window, her slender arms lifting to make room for the twins before letting them cuddle into her.

She didn't realize how much she wanted that, until they showed up and did it.

"You saw it… didn't you…?" Ira asked under her breath, looking down as the two sets of arms wrapped around her tightened. Two heads giving tiny nods.

The girl frowned for a moment before letting herself relax, closing her eyes as she let her body accommodate the gentle warmth pressing into her from both sides.

"Are you sure you want to be staying with me tonight?" she asked quietly, opening her eyes again, but only halfway.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Ira…" Astra murmured into the girl's side, burying her face into Ira's body a little more.

"We're not letting you sleep alone tonight," Aaryn added, finding the need to do the same thing Astra was doing as she curled further into Ira. "You won't get any sleep if you try."

Ira took a slow, shallow breath before letting it out quietly into her room, eyeing the twins in the reflection of her window. With everything she can do… and everything she can accidentally do…

How do two young girls always make her feel so warm… on cold nights like this?

They were always stronger than her.

"Thank you…" Ira whispered, finally resting her arms down on their backs, her palms sliding gently over their wrapped wings. Their bodies weren't that much smaller than her own, almost the same size, actually, just a tad shorter and thinner than her.

But that was only due to age alone. Still… she was their older sister.

She was supposed to be the one comforting them.

A small pressure settled onto the bed before Ira felt the two tip her back, her eyes going wide for a moment as the twins pushed her down onto the bed and lied next to her.

"Get under the covers, Ira…" Aaryn ordered quietly, Ira's eyes glancing down to her sister's head pressing against her arm now before seeing it pull back slightly. "We'll help you sleep."

To reinforce her twin's point, Astra slipped a wing out from her nightshirt to dexterously pull the blanket over them, before wrapping the soft appendage over and around Ira's torso.

She was surprisingly quiet for someone known for being flamboyant, but she was always burnt out this time of night anyway, so it was nothing new to Ira.

It just… kind of startled her into silence that the talkative one stayed quiet, only pressing into her side more as she slipped herself under the covers with her.

Ira eventually listened, sliding herself down a little to rest her head back on her pillow. The cradling warmth of the bed melded against her skin for a few short seconds before Aaryn tucked into her opposite side.

A second wing interlaced with the one already comfortably wrapped around her body, Aaryn's feathers interlocking with Astra's to add to the cradle of warmth as Ira found herself cuddled again.

"You two really don't mind getting woken up early?" Ira asked one final time, knowing she got up earlier than the two of them. But her voice fell quiet as two sets of arms slipped back around her and tightened their hold.

"Ira…" "Stop talking."

The girl held her breath before sighing one last time that night, arching her back to make herself comfortable before nestling into the warmth the twins wrapped her in.

Maybe she _would_ get a little sleep tonight… if they helped her try to get it.

The lamp eventually turned off with a muffled snap, Aaryn's other wing making its way back onto the bed as Ira closed her eyes.

It wasn't fair… that she was allowed to be this lucky.

* * *

The moonlit breeze caressing my arms past where the sleeves of my white V-neck ended felt nice. It reminded me that, house or not, I was still staying in the middle of the forest.

I'd gone up to the rooftop after the twins gave me their room to sleep in, since I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until the talking amongst the other people in the house stopped anyway.

It was a force of habit I'd gotten from constantly sleeping in places where a Grimm attack might happen at any moment – even the slightest bit of sound would wake me up, or in this case, keep me from falling asleep in the first place.

With my senses as sharp as they were, even from the roof, I heard every word of every conversation which took place in the house below.

The last of it had just stopped, so I knew it wouldn't be long before all grew still and I'd be able to head to bed myself. But before that, I figured it'd be a good idea to take stock of what I'd learned.

 _So the one person I was supposed to be avoiding, as per my promise… is their sister._ "Is this fate's way of telling me to stop running away? That I'll never escape it, no matter how hard I try?"

And not only that, but… people were bullying her because she didn't have her aura active… the poor fools. If she used her aura on them, they'd end up dead in a heartbeat… though I doubted seriously that they'd believe me if I just told them that…

I smiled, hopping off the rooftop before using the edge of it to swing into the open window of the bedroom the twins left me before silently rolling into a kneeling position.

"Tomorrow… I guess I'll just have to show them what someone with no aura active can really do. I won't even need a weapon against people who are still in _school_ to learn how to fight…"

It looked like everyone was already near about asleep. They were all too still for me to hear their movements. So it was about time for me to get to bed as well… I'd end up waking up when the first of them roused anyway, so it's not like I needed to set an alarm.

As I lay down on top of the covers, resting my head in my hands clasped together over the pillow… in spite of everything, I couldn't help but find myself looking forward to the rest of the time I would be spending in the area.

But even so, I knew better than anyone that this momentary happiness would only last so long before it came to a bitter end.

* * *

Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

 **X: Well… we** _ **did**_ **want to drag Hydra in here. But...**

 **Username: He said he didn't have much to say, but I think he's just screen shy… XP**

 **Ano: No threesome, unfortunately.**

 **X: *fishes Ano out of the room* Moving on. Next chapter, Ira and Kamiko meet! So, the differing perspectives start there.**

 **Username: Yeah, I may or may not have a lot of scene rewriting to do in her perspective…**

 **X: We'll be trading that responsibility back and forth the more we collaborate and write for those two characters directly.**

 **Username: More or less. Xera's got their fair share of them by this point too in our reserve built up so far…**

 **X: There's a lot to look forward to, but we won't spoil that. For now, you can plan to see a guest walking Ira to school in the morning. I wonder if anything will happen.**

 **Username: Anyway, not much else to say. See you next time!**

 **X: Woo! Another long AN with little said. A style I can get used to, because nobody's complained yet.**

 **Username: At this point it's a meme. Anyway, see you later!**

 **X: *waves and drops Ano into a pool of water***

 **Ano: *soaked* Xera made me we-**

 **X: *ends note***


	7. VII: Omelettes

Timeless Awakening

Omelettes

«»

Lylac was sifting through the refrigerator, seeing what they had in stock.

"I want eggs," Anoel tiredly declared, resting her arms on the kitchen island as she laid her head over them. "Make me eggs."

She was purposefully making herself sound needy.

Her wife turned to look at her, equally as tired as she was, with a half-glare. "You should lay some then."

"I _did_ ," Anoel complained. "They look exactly the same. And I can't legally eat them."

With a roll of her eyes, a sigh escaped from Ly as she turned back to peering inside the fridge.

"Omelettes?" she asked casually.

Ano hummed quietly in response to that, rolling onto her cheek to gaze at Ly glancing expectantly back at her. "Omelettes sound good. Ira should be waking up for school soon, too. She'll like that."

Ly nodded, pulling out the carton of eggs and a few extra ingredients. "Omelettes it is."

"So we're doing omelettes?" a groggy voice called out from the direction of the bedrooms. "I'm not much of an egg person, but beggars can't be choosers."

Before long, their guest emerged from the hall from the stairs, a playful smile on her face.

Anoel's eyes traced casually over to Kamiko walking into the kitchen, the girl rubbing her eyes for a moment as Anoel eyed her. "Don't complain about my wife's eggs."

The girl ran a hand through her long, golden blonde bangs before tossing them back over her shoulder. "Well, anything can be good if cooked well enough, and this does appear to be her kitchen… I'm game for trying them out."

"Our kitchen, but she likes to use it," Anoel corrected lightly.

Ly was already at the stove, pouring a little oil into a frying pan before she turned back around. "I haven't heard any complaints so far, so there's at least a little credibility check for you. And _no_ , it's _my_ kitchen, but I like to share."

"If that's the case, maybe you wouldn't mind me helping you make breakfast then," Anoel chided back, letting a soft hum follow her pressed lips as she looked at her wife's side.

Kamiko interjected almost immediately. "Might be better if I do the helping if this becomes a group project… no offense."

"Offense taken." Anoel's voice fell blunt before she gave a tired, but playful smile. Her chin soon falling delicately into her hands as she tapped her cheeks lightly with her fingers. "It's up to Ly to let you help. But it's up to _me_ who touches her eggs."

"Or you can both sit down and wait for breakfast," Ly commented from the stove, a little smile curling on her lips. "I took the week off to look after _three_ kids, not five."

"Nurse me then," Anoel returned, but she donned a bit more of a serious expression after her playful banter died off. "By the end of the week, though. We need to make a decision about what to do with Ira."

Ly sighed, cracking a few eggs into a bowl and whisking them together. "I know… but she has the right to try and stay at Signal."

"Well, if she wants to stay at Signal, the bullies are still going to be a problem…" Kamiko mused aloud, putting a hand to her chin as a pensive expression dawned on her face. "But I guess if I were to enter into the school myself, the bully problem would disappear pretty fast."

Ly stopped what she was doing to slowly turn to face the girl behind her curiously, that gaze switching to Ano not long after.

Her wife just gave her an innocent smile with half a shrug. "Told you she has good hearing. Probably heard us talking last night."

Kamiko nodded with a shrug of her own. "Yeah, I may or may not have heard every word of every conversation last night before falling asleep myself. But anyway, I don't think anyone who needs to go to _school_ to learn how to fight would be even remotely a problem for me to deal with… but I'd need a last name to enter under."

"I'm not sure how I can help with that, but she might," Ly replied, distractedly pointing at Ano as she continued cooking.

"Forged transcripts aren't difficult when you run an inter-kingdom information network," Anoel replied, drawing her gaze back to Kamiko as she looked her over. She did look Ira's age… "You said you weren't planning to stay long, though. This isn't exactly going to be a short term solution. Once you leave, things just might get worse for her."

"Which is a problem all parties would like to avoid," Ly added.

The teen shrugged again, a crooked half-smile forming on her lips. "Well, I'm sure you've noticed this by now, but your daughter Ira's aura signature basically acts as a Grimm magnet. That alone is reason enough for me to stick around longer than I originally planned to."

Anoel's eyes narrowed for a moment before she relaxed her shoulders, drawing that gaze she held with Kamiko back to her wife for a moment. "You can sense that?"

"I can sense and identify properties of pretty much every aura signature within my detection radius, so… yeah, more or less," she explained, looking Anoel dead in the eyes with a smirk.

That… was something Niro was able to do.

Her smirk widened ever so slightly. "In fact… when we first met, I noticed when you tried to activate your Semblance on me, too. Probably something related to information gathering."

"Ooh, _busted_ …" Lylac cooed from the stove with a little smirk on her face.

Despite Anoel looking a little taken off guard, she sent Ly a cautious glance before bringing her eyes back to level with Kamiko's. "You're just full of surprises then, aren't you? Not that I can tell, though. I couldn't read you for some reason."

"You got her all riled up now," Ly commented playfully. "She doesn't like secrets."

"I like secrets," Anoel said back. "I just don't like it when people keep them from me."

Ly rolled her eyes, grating some cheese into the second omelette before folding it. "Yep, and that's what's got your feathers all ruffled up. Good luck, Kamiko, she'll be watching you like a hawk now. _Literally._ "

"No I won't," Anoel muttered back, eyes carefully regarding Kamiko's smug stance. "I'll watch her like the _phoenix_ I am, thank you very much."

After a few moments, that smug smirk softened into an understanding grin. "No worries, most people who get to know me end up curious anyway… because there's never an end to the unknown factor when it comes to dealing with me."

"Sounds like advertising…" Ly replied casually, plating the second finished omelette before bringing it and the first over and leaving them on the island.

Anoel's light fingers slid one of the plates further toward herself before picking up one of two forks resting on its edge, its omelette big enough for two. "She's trying to tempt me."

The phoenix slid her plate just slightly over to the side now, Ly setting the pan off to the side for now to wait for a closer time to Ira's usual wake schedule.

"Salt and pepper?" Ly asked as she opened one of the cupboards.

Kamiko took a forkful of her omelette before taking a bite and chewing, eyes lighting up with interest. "Hmm… not bad, not bad at all. Although I can't help but wonder what adding some garlic would do to it…"

Ly smiled before throwing a garlic powder dispenser toward the girl, then plucking out the salt and pepper and returning to the island to sit next to Ano, the plate positioned between them.

"Garlic on eggs?" Anoel asked inquisitively, holding her fork and poking at the omelette she was sharing with her wife as Ly seasoned it.

"Yeah, I don't really understand it either, but to each their own," Ly added.

Kamiko sprinkled the garlic powder liberally onto the omelette before using her fork to spread it around. She then took another bite, chewing slowly as her eyes reflected a mild discomfort. "Well, it's not exactly the worst garlic experiment I've ever done… but I think I'll be using other seasonings in the future."

Anoel glanced at Kamiko's pensive face for a moment, wondering just how many _other_ garlic experiences the girl had before turning back and watching Ly lift a small forkful of their omelette in front of her.

The phoenix opened her mouth wide enough for her wife to feed her before doing the same in return. It was routine for them, by now.

"Well, seeing as you're staying," Anoel eventually said, swallowing her small bite as she lifted another forkful up in a casual manner. Her eyes glanced back over to Kamiko, meeting the girl with a curious stare. "I'm fine with letting you stay here for as long as you'd like, if you can help with our daughter's problem."

"That'll be your rent," Ly remarked casually as she leaned over and took the next piece on Ano's fork into her mouth.

For a few passing moments, Kamiko appeared to be seriously considering something troubling. But as quickly as that became apparent, the expression vanished, replaced by a radiant smile. "Well, I'm not gonna say no to a free bed to sleep in. I'm game. But I'll be helping her with more than just the bully thing… I could probably teach her a thing or two about controlling her aura, too."

"You're… willing to do that?" Anoel asked, quirking a delicate brow as her wife lightly poked the side of her cheek with her next bite. The phoenix turned her head slightly in response to it to let Ly slip it into her mouth.

"Yeah, sure," the teen replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She took another bite of her omelette and chewed it casually before continuing. "That power she has… it's not like I have no experience with it, after all. I know how it works well enough to teach her how to use it."

Ly turned to face the girl, curiosity evident through her shifting eye colour. "You seem to know a lot about Ira considering you have yet to meet her."

Anoel's own face lacked the curiosity her wife held, hers melting into one of suspicion instead. "You're talking like you've worked directly with it before."

"Because I have. More than once and more than just a few times," Kamiko answered matter of factly, not a hint of deception in her voice. "My experience with that power goes back a long way."

Ano's gaze met with her wife's again as they traded glances, a long few moments passing by without a word before Anoel finally muttered something.

"Kamiko, how old are you?"

She shrugged, face unreadable as she ate another bite of her omelette. "I'm fifteen… right now, anyway."

"Right now?" Ly asked in return as she quirked an eyebrow.

Kamiko's eyes glinted as she appeared to take note of something. "We can continue this conversation later if you want… but right now, it might be better to hold off. Ira just woke up."

* * *

"Hey," a quiet voice called from the door to the kitchen. I hadn't been introduced already, but I'd overheard it enough times to recognize it as belonging to Ira. "I... take it you're Kamiko?"

I took a deep breath to steady my nerves. In much the same way that one would struggle to maintain composure when being confronted with their sins, I found myself nervous at the prospect of meeting with this person again less than fifty years after promising I wouldn't return.

I'd known since being dragged into the literal same house as her that us meeting would be inevitable, and I'd also given up on avoiding her altogether, but… to have to confront my failure so quickly left me breathless.

I wasn't ready.

But if that's what I thought _before_ I turned around to face her, then the sight that greeted me _afterward_ was definitely not something I'd been prepared for. Not in the least.

 _Beautiful…_

It was all I could do not to brazenly stare at the black-haired beauty before me as time seemed to come to a standstill to accommodate my brain's sudden acceleration right into overdrive.

She was definitely a lot shorter than me, by almost a full head, and her curves weren't as pronounced as my current form's, but there was no denying that I found her smaller form attractive… and if I were being transparent, a lot more so than I expected it to be.

My old lover had nothing on this, if I remembered her appearance correctly when she was this age…

 _That uniform isn't exactly prime material, but considering how she looks in it, I get the feeling she could make anything look good…_

The all-too familiar luminescent lime-green eyes were partially obscured by her messy black bangs, but they still managed to take my breath away, as they always did. But I had no intention of getting lost in them like usual, because it was at around this point that my rational mind caught up with the part that had been checking her out at lightspeed.

 _Calm the fuck down, will you?!_

I forced myself to visibly relax, but inside, my mind was still reeling. I knew that a response to her question was still necessary, so I really didn't have the leisure to wait until I was mentally calm before speaking.

It was at approximately this point that I _really_ wished I had a method of stopping time so I could calm down before answering her, but alas, a technique such as this was not among my vast arsenal of abilities I'd acquired throughout the ages.

"H-Hey there," I offered back, cursing myself inwardly for my stutter. "That's me, yeah."

 _Beginning to feel like I should've gotten a look of her last night,_ before _actually having to meet her for the first time, on the way to the bedroom… she probably thinks I'm a weirdo now, damn it…_

She cocked her head slightly, her uniform-clad shoulder shrugging her bag off to rest on the ground by the hall as she gave me a pensive, yet tired gaze. Looks like she wasn't exactly a morning person, then… not surprised. She turned to look at her moms for a second, reminding me that they were in the room, too.

In fact… I could _feel_ the eyes of the bad cook and curious georgette drilling holes into my back through my long blonde tresses. She was probably still wondering things about my age, given that the both of them seemed to know at least a little bit about both the uniqueness and the emergence of Ira's Semblance.

If they'd been completely in the dark about it, they wouldn't have asked me my age…

"What'd you make?" Ira asked them, my eyes following her as she padded her way into the room in her socks, crossing the hardwood floor to the stove. There was a covered plate there, resting next to the pan the good cook used to make breakfast.

Suddenly, as she scanned the half-finished omelettes on my and Ano's plate, I couldn't help but feel self-conscious over the fact I had sprinkled garlic powder all over mine.

As luck would have it, however, she didn't seem to notice this detail in particular. Not as if I didn't probably already seem weird enough to her, but that would just send it over the edge…

"Omelettes, want one?" Ly answered her, giving the girl a warm smile. Looks like this one had decided to shelve the question of my age for the time being, despite being the one who posed it in the first place. "I'm taking the rest of the week off, so I'll be cooking tonight too."

Ira hummed lightly as she nodded to that, turning her gaze back down to the extra omelette set aside before gazing at it curiously. _How adorable…_ "This one mine?"

Ly nodded. "It is. I'll cook the girls their own whenever they crawl out of your bed."

Ira's hair bounced slightly as she gave another small nod, removing the insulated cover set over her food. Even if she was turned away and I couldn't see her face directly, I could tell a small smile came to her face as heat sifted up from it. Along with the fresh smell of cooked eggs, I presumed.

"Sounds nice," she voiced out quietly, and I had to quickly look away when she turned around to join us at the island, across from me. Her eyes turned to me again for a moment before glancing to her moms, catching Anoel's attention. "How did you know I was craving curry last night?"

I glanced back to see Ira's eyes fall on Lylac as she asked that, resting her arms on the island in front of her by her plate. Normally I'd claim ownership of this particular feat right away, but… first off, I still seemed to be struggling with articulation in some measure, and second off, now that I thought about it, intentionally cooking the thing I _knew_ she would be hungry for given the circumstances… no matter how you sliced it, would've been suspicious considering, well, _we never met before today._

Ly's eyes turned pink again as her smile widened. Part of me wondered if she was going to tell the girl or not, which I honestly didn't know if I actually wanted right then. "I didn't cook it."

Ira's gaze widened for a moment in a little startle, the girl slowly turning her head to regard Anoel in pure, admittedly adorable confusion. Now I kind of wanted to tell her. "It couldn't have been Ano. Did Arex stop by?"

With that said though, Anoel's face went from distracted and happy to downright insulted in just a mere second. Only to immediately accept it in the next heartbeat.

I personally found this little exchange of glances to be absolutely hysterical, enough for me to break into a grin. I had to suppress a chuckle at that. At least she was self-aware enough to know that such a conclusion was probably justified… not that I'd been given the chance to verify it personally yet.

"Guess again, sweetie. I asked the same thing," Ly replied amusedly as she let her head rest in her hand, rubbing Ano's back reassuringly with the other.

The phoenix just lowered her distraught gaze at her wife's touch. "Oh don't patronize me."

"I… don't remember the twins being that good at cooking," Ira concluded, and I cackled inwardly at the inherent assumption that the twins cooking something good was still more likely than Ano doing it.

Both Ano and Ly shook their heads.

And alas… our contestant finally ran out of other options to pick from.

Ira's gaze became even more bemused than before as she finally looked over my way as I continued to grin stupidly at the amusing blow dealt to Ano's pride, eyeing me skeptically across the island with silent question in her eyes.

"You're our guest, though. How'd you end up cooking?" Ira slowly asked, leaning more heavily into her arms as she crossed her ankle over the back of her other heel.

 _Oh, could you_ please _not move around in a way that makes me want to check you out again? That'd be much appreciated…_

I shrugged, my smile turning sheepish. I locked eyes with those entrancing, shimmering green irises for only a moment before averting my gaze ever so slightly to allow the words to flow. "I originally just planned to cook my own share, since they weren't taking me into account when they made dinner before. But then the twins wanted to try it too, so I just ended up making enough for everyone."

"That was… really nice of you," Ira muttered, seeming at a loss for words. For a few moments, anyway. "It was good. It happened to be what I was craving, too. So…" she trailed off, lowering her gaze to her omelette, "thanks for making it."

"No problem. I'm glad you liked it," I replied before flashing her what I dubbed my 'Ladykiller Smile.' I'd used it so many times that it'd take me an entire human lifetime to count to the whole number one at a time, so I'd had plenty of time to perfect it.

It wasn't like I was expecting anything to come of it.

Hell, she literally just met me, and I also had to keep it toned down since the fact that we met each other at all was a stupid mistake that I'd be paying for in due time, and just knowing that alone dampened my motivation to actively try and seduce her, but… I noticed a shift in her eyes after a few seconds. It wasn't as pronounced as I could recall on other people, but my smile had managed to put her at ease a little.

But then her gaze became curious and confused instead, as she slowly posed a question while eyeing her parents. "How come she stayed in the twins' room last night? We have a guest room."

 _Fucking what?!_

So then I was placed in someone else's bedroom… for no reason… wait! No, the bookworm might have had an ulterior motive here. She might have been hoping I'd leave those books I offered to let her read there so she could check them out at her leisure later on.

Which, I mean, I _did_ do, but… now it made me feel like I'd been played…

 _Maybe she'll wake up one morning to find a children's horror story of ancient times there instead…_

Anoel only flashed her daughter a small smile, drawing Ira's and my own attention as the woman gestured to me with a tilt of the head. "The twins were the ones who worked out her sleeping arrangements. We figured we'd just let them."

"Oh…" Ira's voice fell cutely quiet again, her lips pressing into a thin line. Looks like she was realizing how concerned they were about her the night before… it was so obvious that even I noticed it after less than an hour of interacting with them.

But then, I'd have an easier time noticing the concern than the subject of it would. The one furthest away from sentimentality is often liable to see the situation with the most clarity. The closer you get to something, the more the lens you view it through gets distorted by your own personal feelings on the matter…

And this was especially true for people who were insecure about themselves, like Ira seemed to be.

"Oh, you have a guest room, do you…?" I said while putting a hand to my chin in mock contemplation. It looked like Ira needed an out in the conversation anyway. "Interesting… well, no one can fault them for caring."

I'd heard every conversation which took place in the entire house since I got here. I could just _feel_ Ira's doubts about herself and how her family felt about her. So, I couldn't help it. I had to reinforce the idea that she mattered to them, even if only once.

Ira finally picked back up her fork as she turned a slight gaze to her moms, who were _still_ staring at me for some reason.

 _Was what I said really that odd?_

"What? The couch was the first thing that came to mind," Anoel offered, Ira catching the woman's forming smirk as _I_ caught the cute girl pop her first bite into her mouth.

But the girl looked like she struggled for a moment due to the heat of the eggs still, her face scrunching up a little as she swallowed.

 _Doesn't seem to want to admit the eggs were still hot, though…_

In response to Anoel's remark, I smiled, directing a playful gaze back at her. "Well, I suppose no one can fault kids for being kids either. They were the ones to come up with the sleeping arrangements, after all…"

"Careful, or it'll be the shed next," Ly replied, equally as sly.

"And let her sleep with your precious gems?" Ano asked lightly, her eyes switching from me to eye her wife. "I thought _I_ was the only one who gets to touch them."

"You really think _I_ would keep my gems inside a _shed_?" Ly countered evenly. "Married for 17 years and you still don't know me… I'm hurt."

Ira fought back a smile as she watched the gawk form on Ano's face, her mom gasping under her breath at the accusation. Okay, good, I was glad it wasn't just me who found that funny…

"It's still your little home office out there. I even had it furnished and everything…" Anoel muttered, but a small smile started to quirk at her lips. "In all seriousness, though, we just wanted to see what the twins would do if we gave you the couch."

Ano's eyes turned back to me now as Ira took another bite of her breakfast, keeping an eye on the time to make sure she wasn't going to be late.

"They were probably going to sleep in my bed anyway," Ira interjected, having taken a second to finish her small bite.

"They prefer your bed to everything else, it's really not that big of a surprise," Ly replied with a grin. "In fact, the only other thing they would prefer to sleep on is you."

The girl playfully rolled her eyes at that, and I knew what had to be going through her head right about then, considering that was _exactly_ what the twins did last night. And subsequently, that was also one of the reasons why I couldn't sleep. "Not like I can say no to them…"

Now this right here? This I could relate to. _A lot._ "I know the feeling. That is why I'm here, in a way."

"Guess they're really good at tugging us around then, huh…?" she offered back, her earnest smile flashing me a small ray of sympathy. "I don't really mind it."

 _Well, aside from it being the dumbest, most logic-defiant thing I've agreed to in fifty years, it's been pretty nice, all things considered._

I flashed her another restrained Ladykiller Smile before nodding. "Well, it beats sleeping in tree branches, so it's not like I'm complaining."

Her delicate brow rose as she brought her risen bite back down toward her plate, her mostly eaten eggs still steaming. "You were going to sleep in a tree?"

"That was the original plan, yeah," I answered with a casual shrug. "Needless to say, I wasn't expecting the kids following me through the forest to be able to fly up to meet me as high as I'd jumped to."

 _Or for you to be their sister…_

"Of course they would…" Ira muttered quietly to herself, lowering her eyes again to her food.

"Oh, that reminds me," Anoel chimed in, swallowing her own bite before glancing between Ira and I, firm eyes falling onto me in specific. "This whole 'phoenix' thing isn't something to be talked about. I hope you understand."

I nodded, my expression becoming serious as I considered the potential ramifications. "Well, not in public, at least. The world technically isn't supposed to know you exist, after all. Not exactly info that should spread, considering the history behind it…"

"Not just that, there's reason to believe there are people out there that seek to harm phoenix, and I'd rather not get into a gunfight any time soon," Lylac replied with an air of seriousness. "Keep the discussion to this house, please."

"Gotcha," I almost immediately replied. "That was sort of the plan, anyway."

I only said their Faunus subspecies name aloud in the forest because we were so high up in the air that we were out of hearing range of literally anyone who could be anywhere nearby… and even then, it was mostly out of shock, not something I would've done while calm. Because, well…

 _Before I met the twins, I was convinced they'd gone extinct._

Ira quietly finished off her omelette before taking her plate to the sink, washing it off before resting everything in the dishwasher.

"Thanks for bringing my bag in last night, mom," Ira spoke lightly, Anoel sending a smile her way as the girl padded back over to the door, where she left the bag she was referring to.

"Figured you'd need it. Heading out?" the woman asked, Ira's arm just then securing the strap to her bag over her shoulder.

"Have to. School starts in twenty minutes and the walk over takes fifteen," Ira replied, turning back to look at her two moms at the island, and myself standing next to them.

In the brief moment of eye contact we shared, I picked up on her nerves and remembered what she was dealing with. The thing I almost felt obligated to help out with.

Safe to say, Ira's bullying problem would be finished after today.

I'd personally see to it.

"Don't think you're leaving without saying goodbye properly, Ira," Ly spoke out seriously, even though she wore a warm smile on her face.

" _Fine_. But I need to hurry or I'll be late," Ira said back, dropping her bag again as she made her way back over and leaned up onto the balls of her feet, placing a kiss on Ly's cheek.

 _Not like I didn't pick up on this already, but… this family gets really tactile._

I honestly couldn't remember the last time I had that kind of physical contact with anyone I wasn't in a romantic relationship with. So, suffice to say, I felt really awkward watching all this unfold.

Ly's arms wrapped around the girl in a warm embrace as she returned a kiss on Ira's forehead. "Have a good day, dinner will be ready when you get home. Love you."

"Love you to-" Ira's reply fell into a squeaked eep as Anoel swooped in from her blindside and snatched her off her feet, the girl giggling softly as her other mom pecked her cheek before bumping her nose with her own.

 _What… did I just witness…?_

"And don't forget, Ly's gonna be here all week," Ano said, letting Ira squirm for a few moments before letting her down. But not until after she made the girl give her a kiss too. "So we'll be thinking of some fun things to get up to as a family. You can look forward to that."

 _That… that was recorded, right? I had to have recorded that…_ please _tell me my light-year-a-second brain can play that back to me later…_

Ira smiled, giving a nod before backing over to her bag. "I will. And love you both."

 _Please squeak again._

She quickly pulled her bag back onto her shoulder, disappearing out of sight from the kitchen to plant herself on the stairs and slip her shoes on.

Ira stood back up just as I went up to the front door and grabbed my black denim jacket off the rack, my action earning me a stare.

I called out to the kitchen over my shoulder as I slipped my jacket on while slipping into my boots. "I think I'll go to the school with her today. May as well scope the place out, considering what we discussed earlier."

As expected, the reaction I got from Ira about this was one of a girl caught off guard. "Do you… go to Signal too?"

"Oh, that's right," Anoel's voice came from the kitchen, myself and Ira glancing back to catch her mom leaning against the door frame. "Kamiko's looking to transfer into the school. We figured we'd help her out a little with getting in."

Ly sauntered over to stand next to her wife as well, letting her weight rest on Ano as she smiled, something that really did show how much trust they shared in each other. "We're gonna call ahead and let them know you're bringing a plus one, so don't worry about that."

"Okay. I… guess I can give her a tour then, after classes," Ira muttered, glancing to me for a moment before letting her gaze fall.

I could feel the dread she felt over this. Not that I blamed her, given what she was dealing with and how she'd treated the problem thus far. But even still…

I couldn't help but vow to myself as we left to make that dread disappear as soon as possible.

And to make her squeak again. Myself.

* * *

Co-Author: A New Username

Co-Author: HydraFlow

* * *

 **Username: Just throwing out this disclaimer for people who read my other stuff: no, the meme scene below was not made by me. It does have my seal of approval, however. Thank Xera.**

 **X: It wasn't me, I swear.**

 **Username: I should've expected that… I do not have the lewdness of thought to invent lines like that, though…**

 **X: What do you expect? I write Anoel…**

 **Username: This is a fair point. I once again assert my belief that Anoel is the characterization of your lewd thoughts.**

 **X: Nah, just my witty banter that's unafraid to say whatever it wants.**

 **Username: I'm not sure we have the same definition of the word banter, then…**

 **X: My statement still stands!**

 **Username: Anyway, go check out Xera's version if you haven't yet.**

 **X: Do you think they'll figure out that these author notes are different between the stories?**

 **Username: Now that you spelled it out for them they will…**

 **X: Hmm… *drapes blanket over the words* now they can't read it.**

 **Username: Sure, why not?**

 **X: *throws blanket over Username***

 **Username (in voice muffled by blankets): Joke's on you, I was cold anyway.**

 **X: *buries in blankets* why didn't you tell me you were cold?**

 **Username (struggling to breathe under weight of blankets): Fuck, call my bluff…**

 **X: *pushes a pile of chips into the center of the table* called and raised.**

 **Username: Anyway, see you guys next time!**

* * *

 **Omake:** _What Really Happened_

* * *

Kamiko shrugged again, a crooked half-smile forming on her lips. "Well, I'm sure you've noticed this by now, but your daughter Ira is basically an attractive magnet. That alone is reason enough for me to stick around longer than I originally planned to."

Anoel's eyes narrowed for a moment before she relaxed her shoulders, drawing that gaze she held with Kamiko back to her wife for a moment. "You can sense that?"

"I can sense and identify properties of pretty much every pair of panties and their possessors within my detection radius, so… yeah, more or less," she explained, looking Anoel dead in the eyes with a smirk.

That… was something Niro was able to do.

Her smirk widened ever so slightly. "In fact… when we first met, I noticed when you tried to cop a feel on me, too. Probably something related to information gathering."

"Ooh, _busted_ …" Lylac cooed from the stove with a little smirk on her face.

Despite Anoel looking a little taken off guard, she sent Ly a cautious glance before bringing her eyes back to level with Kamiko's. "You're just full of surprises then, aren't you? Not that I can tell, though. I couldn't feel you for some reason. Must've been a… lack of leverage."

"You got her all riled up now," Ly commented playfully. "She doesn't like fruit bigger than hers."

"I like big fruit," Anoel said back. "I just don't like it when people keep them out of reach."

Ly rolled her eyes, grating some cheese into the second omelette before folding it. "Yep, and that's what's got your feathers all ruffled up. Good luck, Kamiko, she'll be watching you like a hawk now. _Literally._ "

"No I won't," Anoel muttered back, eyes carefully regarding Kamiko's smug stance. "I'll watch her like the _phoenix_ I am, thank you very much."


	8. Notice: Why this story stopped updating

**Yo, this is Username speaking! Some of you may have already noticed this, but last time Xera's copy of Timeless updated, my copy did not. There is a good reason for this. Basically, rewriting scenes in Kamiko's perspective is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery hard to motivate myself to do, for quite a number of reasons. I eventually came to the conclusion that if didn't want the story to just end up dying, I'd need to just stop trying to do that, and therefore, the story is now only being continued on Xera's account.**

 **I'm still keeping this story up for insights into Kamiko, but it will no longer be updated, and future scenes written in Kamiko's perspective will be incorporated into Xera's copy instead. Kamiko's perspective is inherently hard to write in, given that she's someone who has a lot of knowledge of a lot of things which I don't want to spoil readers about ahead of the intended reveal timings, so her perspective has to be written very carefully in order to avoid doing that. Add onto this the fact that writing off a preplanned script of sorts has never been my forte, and you get why this copy of the story had to be dropped.**

 **Anyway, I if you only followed my copy of this story up to this point, I implore you to go check out Xera's copy now, and while you're on his profile, check out his other RWBY stuff too! The guy's an amazing writer, better than me by far!**

 **See you there in my and Xera's joint author notes!**


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